A Boy Named Time
by Arudon
Summary: All he remembered was falling, falling so far, so fast. That and a single word: Time. Harry's life is changed forever as he meets a very strange boy the night before he recieves his letters. Non-sexual nudity
1. Arrivals

**AN: Well, here goes my baby, I hope you like it. I do not own Harry Potter or any of its characters or the franchise, that's JK Rowling. Wish I did though. Enjoy!**

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Time

What a curious little word, that is. Time: the strict progression of events in chronological order. It encompasses the past, the present, the future, and all things in between, both big and small. So much life and death, beginnings and endings, failings and successes, and movement, oh so much movement, people rushing about, dashing here, running there, always moving, moving, moving! And always so quickly. Guess that's why it's called the human race.

But you didn't come here to listen to me ramble on about such things. No, you clicked on that link to listen to a story. More particularly, my story. And oh, what a story it is. I have many you see, from my birth to my adventures, but I believe the story you have gathered to hear is of a much more curious nature. You want to hear about the boy named Time, and how he fell from the sky.

* * *

It was a cold night that night. Uncharacteristically for the summer. In the forests on the outskirts of Little Whingeing, Surrey, a storm cloud brewed, seething, roiling. Lightning flashed across its surface as the behemoth started to swirl, slowly coalescing into a funnel cloud. Building power, the winds started to whip the trees below into a frenzy, hurling birds, squirrels, and all sorts of woodland creatures from their leafy bows to go crashing to earth. The funnel soon formed into a column, lightning flashing within, and within a roar of rage, the column crashed into the earth, sending earth and forest flying. The column seemed to contort, as a swell passed from its base to the tip, outlined in a halo of lightning. With a tremendous crash, the swell hit the earth. A shockwave radiated out from the contact, leveling all the trees within a twenty yard radius.

Its energy spent, the funnel began to slowly dissipate, and the wind, which had been so focused up to this point, began to slow. Slowly, the night reclaimed its former calm, leaving the small boy lying in the center of the ring of destruction completely untouched. Messy black hair adorned his head, and as the clouds cleared, stray shafts of moonlight fell upon his pale form, making him almost glow. With a sharp intake of breath, his eyelids shot up, revealing a pair of electric blue sapphires.

Not too far away, a pair of brilliant emeralds watched as the clouds dissipated, curiosity shining in their green depths, as well as a trace of excitement.

* * *

Harry Potter knew he shouldn't be out of his cupboard. If his aunt and uncle found out, he would be in for a right nasty flogging. But thunderstorms had always fascinated Harry, partly due to the fact that it was the only thing that could spawn lightning, which Harry practically adored, thanks to his scar.

So when he heard the telltale crackling of thunder, he had used IT to unlock his cupboard, and had quickly moved to a window, where he had watched the most miraculous series of events unfold. What was even more remarkable was the fact that even though the shockwave had been strong enough to knock him of his feet, even knocking some of Aunt Petunia's plants over, not a single person in the house had stirred. But that wasn't what had his curiosity soaring however. No, it was the prospect that something had obviously come out of the storm cloud; and he, Harry, was going to find out what.

Tip-toeing over to the front door, he carefully eased the latch open, and, grabbing a torch hanging from the rack on the wall, dashed off into the night. Reaching the edge of the forest, he paused and flicked the light on, it wouldn't do for his "investigation" to end with a sprained ankle or chipped tooth because he tripped over some root. But then again, even if he did it would probably just heal. That was another thing that added to his freakishness: his miraculous healing ability. Cuts seemed to seal up within minutes, bruises faded within hours, and broken bones mended in sometimes less than a day. His uncle would often mumble about unnatural and freakish this made Harry, yet despite all the grief it gave him, he was still thankful for it.

Venturing deeper into the forest, Harry began to see more and more signs of the freak storm cloud, as tree branches and uprooted shrubs littered the ground. Eventually it became so tangled that even with his smaller than average frame, Harry was hard pressed to fit through the mess. Finally breaking through the foliage, his eyes widened as he took in the scene before him. A huge crater lay before him, maybe thirty feet deep and forty feet across. Awestruck, Harry moved forward slowly to stand at the edge of the crater. Spotting movement, Harry's eyes were drawn to the center, where he spied a…boy?

With a yelp, Harry tumbled down the side of the crater as the ground gave way beneath him. Extending his arms out to try to catch himself, he caught sight of the other boy's shocked expression just before he plowed right into him, knocking them both down.

Pushing himself up, Harry realized he was lying on top of the boy. With a gasp, Harry looked down, and twin emerald's met flashing sapphires. They both regarded each other for a few minutes, Harry with fascination and the other with apprehension. The blue-eyed boy eventually cleared his throat and spoke in a feather-light voice, "Not to seem rude, but would you mind getting off of me? I think you're crushing my lungs." Emerald eyes widened, and Harry immediately got off the other boy, mumbling apologies, "I'm so sorry, my Aunt and Uncle have told me its rude to stare. I didn't mean to be rude to you. Please don't tell Dudley!" Harry turned his huge wide-eyes on the strange boy.

He couldn't help being fascinated by him; his appearance was shocking to the eleven year old. For one thing, besides a tight looking collar made of some unknown material around his neck, the boy was completely naked. That in itself would have been awkward, except that the boy looked so much like Harry. They had the same messy black hair, were the same height and size, and had identical facial expressions. However, there was no iconic lightning bolt scar on the blue eyed boy. And his face was a bit different, more angular than Harry's. But other than these small details they could have been twins! The boy even looked to be the same age as Harry.

That last thought led to an onslaught of questions tumbling from his lips. "Who are you? How old are you? What's your name? I've never seen you before, where did you come from? Are you an alien? Did you-" Harry was cut off by the strange boy making placating gestures with his hands. "Easy, easy, slow down. Now for one thing I have no idea where I come from or who I am." Then, as if realizing what he just said, a panicked look shot across his face. "Wait, I don't remember. I don't remember _anything_. Why can't I remember?" Sapphire eyes shot towards Harry. "Do you know?"

A smile cracked across Harry's features, though he quickly wiped it away at the sight of the boy's obvious distress. "Wouldn't be asking if I already knew would I?" The other boy regarded him for a moment before nodding his consent to the logic. Worried, Harry tried to remedy the problem, "Are you sure you can't remember _anything_?" Pausing, the boy shut his eyes and turned his gaze inwards. After a while, he opened his eyes and looked back up at Harry from where he sat on the ground, "Nothing except a falling a long, long way. And one word that keeps repeating itself." Emerald eyes brightened at this. "What word?"

"Time"

At this utterance their eyes locked, gazes searching the other for something, though neither was sure of what. "That's it?" Harry finally asked, "Just Time? What's that supposed to mean?" Lowering his gaze, the other boy mumbled, "I think it's my name." Harry looked astonished at this admittance, then a grin once again cracked across his face. "Really, your name? What kind of name is Time? Not that it's a bad name, it's actually pretty cool. It's just I've never met another boy name Time." Sapphires flashed in annoyance. "Well what's your name then?"

Straightening up, Harry extended his hand out to the boy, "Harry Potter, and it's a pleasure to meet you Time." Time hesitantly reached his hand up and took hold of Harry's, which was immediately pumped up and down vigorously by the overeager pre-teen. Standing up, Time and Harry regarded each other again carefully. Ever curious, Harry was the first to broach the obvious question, "So what happens now?"

Time glanced up at the moon. "Well, since it is night-time, don't you think we should be going to sleep?"

Harry looked confused by this statement. "Well, yeah, but we can't go to sleep out here!"

"Why not?" Time asked puzzled.

Harry looked at him as if he'd grown a third eye. "Because we're in the middle of the woods! We could be eaten by a bear, or wolves, or anything really. Besides, Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia would be very mad if I didn't make breakfast on time."

"Who are they, and what's breakfast?" This last question caught Harry completely off guard, he had never heard of someone unfamiliar with the concept of breakfast. However, true to his nature he was unhindered, "Breakfast is the meal you eat in the morning. And as for my Aunt and Uncle, they're the people I live with. Would you like to stay at my house? I'm not sure what to do about them but we can figure that out in the morning. Will you come?"

Fingering his collar, Time thought for a moment before once again raising his eyes to meet those dancing emeralds. 'They practically glow in the dark' he thought 'Wonder what they would be like without the glasses.' Smacking the wayward thoughts away, he agreed and set off with Harry.

* * *

After struggling up from the crater, Harry led the boy back the way he had come until they reached the doorstep of Number 4 Privet Drive. Easing the front door open, Harry led Time to the cupboard under the stairs, and upon opening it, handed him some of Dudley's clothes. "They're going to be too big for you" Harry whispered, "but try them on anyway. It's better than being naked." Nodding, Time proceeded to dress himself right there in the hallway, while Harry turned his back to give him some privacy.

Harry deliberated where Time would sleep, as Harry's cupboard was barely large enough to contain one growing eleven year old boy, not to mention two. After a while though, Harry came to the decision that until they could sort it out, the chances of his Uncle finding Time were too high. So, even though it was rather uncomfortable, they both had to squeeze into the small space.

Little did Harry know as he fell asleep that night that this was going to be the last time he ever slept in that cupboard. For as the dawn grew closer, two particular owls were winging their way towards Privet Drive, with envelopes that would change their lives forever.

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**AN: Now, I had a few questions come up about the way Harry acted in this story. Keep in mind that at this point, he is 10 years old, well, almost 11 but that's besides the point. He's naive and young, so just roll with it. Rate and review. Thanks- **Arudon


	2. Will You Be My Friend?

**AN: Alright, here's the next part. I hope you guys enjoy it. Don't forget to rate and review**

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The Sun was just barely peeking out over the horizon when Harry's eyes snapped open, a habit formed after ten years of rising at the crack of dawn since his arrival at Privet Drive. Moving to sit up, Harry found himself constricted by a set of limbs that were not his own.

Now fully awake, Harry began to struggle against the constraining appendages before the memories of last night's escapade hit him. Shifting his gaze to his left, he got his first up close look at his new houseguest. Now that they were in such close proximity, Harry could clearly see that the collar around Time's neck was clearly not made of any type of material that he was familiar with. It seemed to be almost apart of Time's skin, flowing over it and outlining the pale veins running underneath. It was a soft silver color, almost as if it had been crafted out of the moonlight itself, and it had strange markings running all around it, but had no clear buckle or anything that would indicate a release mechanism. Crafted on the front of it was a curious looking medallion that seemed to sparkle. It portrayed a dragon roaring up at a night sky, while all around it lightning flashed. Even as he observed it, the collar seemed to ripple, as if at any moment it would simply flow off of the sleeping boy.

Breathing in deeply, Harry caught a scent of something that he had never smelt before, a certain type of bitter aroma that was not altogether unpleasant. It reminded Harry of the smell of the air before a storm, or perhaps a tree after it has been struck by lightning. And Harry, having been abandoned in enough forests by his 'family' during a thunderstorm, knew exactly what that was like. Thinking back on it, he was surprised that he could count on his hands the number of times this had happened, remembering how he usually becoming hopelessly, lost yet somehow always managing to find his way back. Taking another deep breath, Harry's nose actually bumped into Time's neck. Startled out of his reverie, Harry sat back and glanced at the boy's face.

Stirring, eyelids slowly raised to reveal twin glistening sapphires, which quickly widened in surprise at seeing a pair of jade orbs so close to his own, before a grin split across his features. "Well, good morning to you as well. Do you think we can get out of this cupboard now?"

Harry quickly disentangled himself from the other boy, and reaching up he jiggled the latch before tumbling out into the hallway. Glancing back, he observed as the other boy slowly eased himself of the cot and out into the hallway before arching his back and stretching. Harry attempted to stifle his giggling, just barely disguising it as a cough. Electric blue eyes flashed in annoyance, indicating that he had not been fooled. "What's so funny?" he asked.

Smirking, Harry picked himself of the floor before replying, "You looked so much like a cat just then I thought you were going start licking yourself."

Rolling his eyes, Time stalked over to the hallway door leading to the kitchen. "As disturbing as that imagery is, don't you think you should start cooking whatever this 'breakfast' is. You still have to show me how to make it."

Strolling into the kitchen, Time sat down behind the counter to watch as Harry flicked on the stove, grabbed some pots and pans, and opened up the fridge before removing a strange brown package of some sorts as well as a clear container with some kind of meat in it. Harry placed the two on the counter before him as he began his explanation. "These are eggs," he said as he opened up the brown container and revealing several white ovoid shapes. Taking one out, he cracked it on the side of a pan before letting the contents, a strange clear and yellow solution, flow out onto the sizzling pan. Harry then began a running explanation of what an egg was where it came from, before moving onto the bacon and toast. Time even managed to cook an egg when light footsteps, too light to be either of the two gargantuan males, sounded in the corridor behind the pair.

Whirling around, Time frantically thought to himself, 'Don't let her see me, don't let her see me, please don't let her see me…' before Aunt Petunia walked in and did a double take. Blinking her eyes rapidly, her facial expression morphed from surprise to confusion to one of annoyance. "Dear lord, I thought for a moment there were two of you. I swear your freakishness is beginning to rub off on me, boy." Shaking her head, she glanced back at Harry, who was looking between his Aunt and Time with look of utter confusion on his face, before huffing and stating in an angry voice, "Well what are you standing there for, finish up with breakfast. And if even a spot on that toast is burnt, you won't be able to sit down for a week!" Spinning on the spot, she strode from the kitchen with an imperious look on her horse-like face.

Harry looked once again at Time, eyes questioning him and confusion written all over his face. Leaning in and whispering, Time spoke into his ear, "I don't think she can see me. I think I might be a Freak like you to Harry."

Comprehension and then amusement danced across Harry's face before his curiosity quickly overwhelmed the other two emotions. "But how did you do that? I mean, I can unlock doors and things, but I've never been able to get them to ignore me like that before."

Raising a finger in the air to quiet the other boy down, Time once again whispered, "I just wished really hard for her not to see me, and I guess it worked. I think I can do it again with your cousin and Uncle, but I don't know. If it works, I don't think we'll have to worry about them kicking me out."

Harry's eyes widened as a true smile split across his features, "So you can stay with me! You can be my friend like Piers is to Dudley?" Dancing emeralds met cool sapphires as Time slowly responded, "I don't know who Piers is and I haven't met Dudley yet, but I do know what a friend is somehow, and yes, I will be your friend."

Laughing, Harry wrapped the surprised boy in a huge hug, shaking with childish excitement. 'My first friend' Harry thought to himself. He let go and quickly turned back to the breakfast, ignoring the confusion Time had shown over the contact. He of course didn't know what a hug was, so naturally he was confused. Stupid selective memory!

* * *

After breakfast was served, Harry and Time stood off to the side of the kitchen watching the two miniature whales dig into their plates with a gusto that surpassed even a bear's appetite after hibernation. Just as they were about to finish, Harry's well trained ears heard the mail flap on the front door flip open and the light thud of papers dropping to the floor. Dashing out of the kitchen with a curious Time following behind him, Harry ran over to the front and scooped up the letters. Flipping through them, he found two that were unlike the others and upon reading the address, eyes widened and fingers shook. There were two letters addressed specifically for Time and him. Not just that, but they were detailed beyond belief.

Handing over Time's letter to him, Harry slowly walked back into the kitchen with the rest of the mail. He was so enthralled by the letter that he didn't see the malicious glint in the smaller whale's eyes before a beefy hand swiped the letter away. "MUM, DAD, HARRY'S GOT A LETTER!" Dudley shrieked.

Anger flashing across his face, Harry tried to grab it back out of the other boys hands "Hey, that's mine! It's addressed to me, not you."

Smirking, Uncle Vernon took the letter, beady eyes regarding Harry with obvious amusement. "And just who would be writing to you?" Turning the letter over, black eyes widened, a rainbow of colors flashed across the large man's face. "P-P-Petunia, i-it's them."

Taking the letter, Petunia's face went staunch white before turning to Harry. "Get out." Pleading, Harry tried to reach for the letter again before his Aunt smacked him and sent him reeling out the door to collapse into Time's arms. Stroking the other boy's head, Time helped Harry into the bathroom and placed a cold towel on the growing welt on Harry's cheek. "Don't bother." Harry said as he tried to push the towel away, "It will heal in a little bit." Scowling, Time firmly reapplied the towel. "Yes, but right now it's hurting you, and this will help stop that." Again, Harry tried to move away. "You don't have to do this. I was wrong, I shouldn't have spoken to my Aunt like that. I deserved it."

Grabbing Harry's chin, Time raised his face until they were looking straight into each other's eyes. Speaking slowly, as if to calm down a frightened animal, Time began the process of drawing Harry out of his shell. "Listen Harry, you're wrong on both points. I'm your friend, and friends take care of each other. You gave me a home to sleep in, when you already had so little, and I'm going to take care of you in return. I may not remember much, but I do have basic feelings, and I know, in my heart, that what they are doing to you is wrong. Your Aunt should never have hit you. They should never hit you, not that hard at least. You didn't deserve it."

'I'm your friend. I'll take care of you. You didn't deserve it.' These were the only thoughts running through Harry's head. No one had ever cared about him in ten years. No one. He felt tears well up in his eyes and choked back a sob. He jumped when he felt a pair of arms circle him, holding his quivering frame close. "Time, what-?" "This is a hug right? You said something about it earlier." Swinging his arms up, Harry embraced the boy. "Thank you," he gasped out.

Smiling, Time slowly loosened his hold on Harry. Pulling away, he quickly related the contents of his letter to Harry, having read his while Harry had gone into the kitchen. Harry was practically jumping up and down in excitement at the thought of leaving Privet Drive. "We'll finally be away from them. We'll be able to go to a real school. But wait, did you say magic? Is that what we are? Magic? Uncle Vernon hates that word. He hates anything that's not ordinary."

Tilting his head back, Time thought about his questions for a bit before finally replying. "I think it might be magic, because there's really no other way to describe what we can do." Eyes brightening, a smile of his own spread, "Alright Harry, we're going to learn magic!"

* * *

Uncle Vernon, on the other hand, would have none of it. Over the course of a week, he had barricaded the house in a one man campaign against the wizarding world, or at least their mail service. When an explosion of letters came roaring down the chimney, he had finally cracked and ordered everyone into the car. Time was almost left behind in the mad dash, but luckily Harry was able to fit him into the trunk of the car in between the portable TV Dudley had insisted on bringing and three of suitcases. What then transpired was forever known between Harry and Time as, 'the Great Mail War,' as Uncle Vernon drove like a maniac across the country, dodging owls and taking winding routes, often doubling back on himself as if attempting to confuse their pursuers. All the while mumbling, "Got to lose them," and "This'll shake 'em."

It ended with the entire family plus one highly amused blue-eyed boy sleeping in a dilapidated old shack in the middle of a craggy island. Well, at least the Dursleys were sleeping; Time and Harry were staying up for a very particular occasion.

"Five, four, three, two, one…Happy Birthday Harry," Time whispered to the boy lying across from him on the floor. Together they had drawn a very elaborate cake in the sand, and Harry was just in the process of blowing out his candles when an earth shattering boom literally shook the house to its foundations.

Jumping up, Time looked towards Harry and back to the door, where the boom had originated. "That's not thunder!" he hissed. Another boom quickly followed the first, accompanied by Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia running into the room, Vernon roaring and waving a double-barreled shotgun. "Go away! I'm armed!" he shouted at the top of his lungs. Grabbing Harry, Time hauled him into an alcove in the wall just as a third boom shook the room, followed immediately by the creaking and cracking of old wood as the door fell inwards. Standing there outlined by the lightning was a giant of a man, with a huge, messy black beard and a…pink umbrella?

"Sorry about tha'." The man exclaimed as he stepped into the room. Turning around, he bent down and lifted the door back into place before turning back to face the room. "I demand that you leave here at once! You are breaking and entering!" Vernon roared, spittle flying everywhere. Leveling a cold stare at him, the giant stepped forward and grabbed the gun, bending it until it pointed straight at the roof. "Dry up you dirty old prude." The man growled right before the gun went off, blowing a hole in the ceiling. Moving over to the fireplace, the man extended the pink umbrella before shooting of several bursts of flame, creating a nice crackling warmth that everyone in the room unconsciously moved towards.

Turning back around, the giant turned an appraising eye on Dudley before exclaiming loudly, "Blimey 'arry, you've grown up since I las' saw ye'. Mind ye', ye've grown a might bit tight around the middle."

Staring at the giant, Dudley opened and closed his mouth several times before stuttering, "I-I'm not Harry."

Stepping out from behind the alcove and tugging another wide-eyed boy, Harry spoke up, "I am."

The giant did a double take upon seeing him, before shaking his huge head and stating, "Well o' course ye' are. But who's that ye got there with ye' 'arry?"

Blue eyes widened considerably as Time gaped at the man. "You can see me?" he asked.

The giant looked confused for a moment. "Well o' course I can see ye', why shouldn't I?"

Flicking his eyes back and forth between the giant and the Dursleys, Time said, "Well, they can't, but I guess that's because I don't want them to. Are you magic like Harry and I?"

The giant looked flabbergasted at his explanation, but never the less answered, "Yeah, the name's Rubeus Hagrid, keeper of the keys at Hogwarts. Ye're tellin' me that ye're a wizard too? I'm only here for 'arry, they never said anythin' 'bout there bein' two o' ye'."

Time looked confused at this, "Well how could you not know about me, the letter I got was addressed specifically! It even had where I slept!"

Nodding in understanding, Hagrid made to explain. "Ah, that'd be the post-owls. See, they got special spells on the letters that addresses it to where'er tha' person is a', and the sender doesn' really know. Anyway, I guess it don' change very much. I guess I'll jus' be takin' you along with Harry as well."

At this Vernon finally found his voice. "I don't know why you're talking to empty space, but you will not be taking him anywhere. I will not be letting him go to some ruddy school to be taught magic tricks!"

What followed was probably the funniest exchange of insults the pair of young wizards had ever seen, culminating finally into Dudley growing a pig tail, at which both Time and Harry had to hold their sides and wipe tears of mirth from their eyes.

* * *

Hagrid eventually took the two outside and got them into a rowboat that was enchanted to row itself. Upon reaching mainland, Hagrid took them to the train station and boarded a train to London. It was quite amusing watching Hagrid try to fit between the metal walkway to get onto the platform, and thanks to his enormous size he almost destroyed several of them. They eventually found themselves in front of a dark looking pub that none of the muggles (Hagrid had explained the phrase to the pair) could see. Across the top, written in faded golden print, was a hand-painted sign that said 'The Leaky Cauldron.' "Right, off we go then." Hagrid announced, stepping forward and opening the door for his two charges. When they stepped in, they were eyeballed by several shifty looking patrons. "Ahh, Hagrid. What brings you here today? Would you care for the usual?" the bartender called out as the giant stepped in behind them.

"No Tom, I'm afraid I'm on bus'ness t'day. Got te get young Harry and Time here their school supplies," Hagrid replied easily. Tom's eyes widened as he spied the iconic mark on Harry's forhead. "Bless my soul, it's Harry Potter."

At his words, the entire pub fell dead silent. One woman stood up and walked over to Harry, extending her hand as she did so. "Doris Crockford, Mr. Potter, and what an honor it is to meet you." Shyly taking the proferred hand Harry immediately had his arm pumped so hard he could have sworn it was almost dislocated. Time got a strange sense of déjà vu as he watched the handshake, remembering his own meeting with the boy. He was perplexed at how Harry seemed to be the center of attention, and soon became a little annoyed as people began to swarm him. Not because he was jealous, oh no, far from it. It was simply that he knew Harry was not at all used to being greeted by so many people, and certainly not one's that were this friendly.

Pushing his way through, he stepped in front of Harry and stared out at the crowd, all of whom slowly began to back away at the sight of those seething sapphires. With a toss of his head, Time grabbed Harry and pulled him toward Hagrid, who then led them to the back of the pub.

Opening a door, Hagrid led the pair to what appeared to be a brick wall. Pulling out his pink umbrella, the giant man tapped out a pattern onto the bricks, before they pulled back and revealed a wide street before them.

" 'arry, Time, welcome ta Diagon Alley."

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**I'll have another chapter up very soon. Take care now. Remember to review, their a real confidence boost-**Arudon


	3. Goblins and Wands

**Well, here's the next big chunk. Enjoy, my ravenous readers.**

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"If you put a collar around my neck, you will tame me." Said the fox to the boy

"I am looking for friends. What does that mean - tame?"

"It is an act too often neglected," said the fox. "It means to establish ties."

"To establish ties?"

"Just that," said the fox. "To me, you are still nothing more than a little boy who is just like a hundred thousand other little boys. And I have no need of you. And you, on your part, have no need of me. To you I am nothing more than a fox like a hundred thousand other foxes. But if you tame me, then we shall need each other. To me, you will be unique in all the world. To you, I shall be unique in all the world..."

"People have forgotten this truth," the fox said. "But you mustn't forget it. You become responsible forever for what you've tamed. You're responsible for your rose."

― Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, The Little Prince

* * *

The two black haired boys trailed behind Hagrid as they walked down the center of Diagon Alley. All around them shops of all kinds were displaying their wares. Bright colored smoke rolled from the windows of a potion shop, exotic plants were displayed in herbology store, strange sounds were issuing from what looked like a pet store, and so much more. All around them witches and wizards strode along in robes and gowns of all kinds, and Time swore he saw one that had a robe made of lion fur with a real lion head attached. The sounds and smells were practically overwhelming for the two, but they drank it all up as only those of youth can.

Time in particular looked as if he wanted to commit to memory the entire street, but there was simply too much going on around him to have any measure of success. Harry was hardly any better, as he had rarely ever been out of the house, except for the occasional trip to Ms Figgs, the crazy old cat lady. He and Time stumbled as they tried to keep up with Hagrid, who was slowly leading them towards a large white building that dominated a corner of the alley. "That there's Gringotts, 'arry, the wizarding bank. Tha's where we'll be getting' you ye're money."

Hagrid had already explained to Harry how his parents had not died in a car crash like he had been told, but had instead been murdered by one of the darkest wizards ever to walk the earth. Harry had of course wanted to know more about him, so Hagrid related to him the story of how he had gained his lightning bolt scar. Harry had not been to surprised to learn that even in the wizarding world he would still be different than others. He was a freak after all. Still, he found it amusing that the reason that he was he was famous was for something that he couldn't even remember.

As they approached Gringotts, Harry became more and more intimidated by the all white marble building, as it was probably the most imposing structure he had ever seen. Indeed, when compared to the rest of the alley, Gringotts was easily the largest, taking up a whole block to itself, as opposed to the five storefronts a typical alley block contained. The inside was even more impressive, as a grand hallway extended forward with goblins bobbing about all around them. The rich red carpet that flowed down the center of the hall was lined on either side by high kiosks with a goblin perched atop, where wizards and witches were consulting their bank accounts or making withdrawals. Hagrid strode right up to the last kiosk at the end of the carpet, where a stern looking goblin sat counting out bank notes. Clearing his throat, Hagrid announced their presence, "Rubeus Hagrid, here ta show young 'arry to his vault." Looking up from the notes, the goblin leaned forward to peer down at Harry, opening his mouth partially to reveal pointed teeth. "And does Mr. Potter have his key?" he asked, directing his blood red eyes to Hagrid once again.

Rummaging through the pockets of his huge cloak, Hagrid eventually pulled out a small golden key. "Here's the little devil." Offering the key to the goblin, Hagrid stood back while the goblin verified its authenticity. When he was satisfied, the goblin returned the key to Hagrid, who once again leaned forward and spoke in a low voice, "Oh, and Professor Dumbledore also asked me ta get you-know-what, from vault you-know-which." The goblin nodded in understanding. "Will that be all Mr. Hagrid?" the goblin asked.

Scratching his beard, Hagrid turned his gaze towards Time. "Hmmm, ye know wha', I don't think so. Could we run a blood-some'at test on Time here ta see if we can find ou' who he is? See, he's lost all his mem'ries, and we don' even know his las' name."

Gazing curiously down at Time, the goblin once again nodded before grabbing a bowl and piece of paper from the desk came down from the desk. Producing a knife from within the folds of his suit the goblin gestured Time over. Looking apprehensively up at Hagrid, who gave a reassuring nod, Time stepped carefully closer to the goblin, blue-eyes riveted on him in case he should make any threatening movement with the knife. The goblin watched his approach before a sharp-toothed grin cut across his features. "You're a fighter, Mr. Time," he stated softly when the boy was close enough.

Eyes widened in surprise before narrowing in scrutiny. "How do you know that, Mr. Griphook?" he asked. Leaning back, the goblins eyes snapped side to side before hissing through clenched teeth, "How did you deduce my name?"

Smirking, Time eyed the obviously nervous goblin, who truly had never given any indication to his name. "Here's the deal Griphook, you answer my question and I'll answer yours. How can you tell that I'm a fighter?"

Eyeing the young boy, the goblin took his time before replying. "You kept your eyes riveted on me the entire time you approached. You kept one foot always behind in order to shift directions easily should I attack, as well as several other traits that one can't put down except by knowing to look for them. Such as the way you walk." Time looked puzzled by this last detail. "What about the way I walk?"

Smirking, the goblin raked the boy over with his eyes before replying. "That's the thing, Mr. Time, you don't walk. You glide. Your entire center of gravity is in the center of your feet, so you're never off balance. Also, even when you're standing still, your weight is firmly in the center, leaving you the freedom to leap out of the way to either side. But now it's time for you to answer my question, how do you know my name. I never mentioned it." And with that the goblin sat back on his heels awaiting his reply.

Time smirked a little before explaining. "You are correct in that you never said your name. However, whilst you were talking to Hagrid and Harry, I heard the goblin three stalls down from you talking to his neighbor about how you always get the more important customers and how he would really like to slip something into your soup. I think his name was Boggrod."

Nodding and making a mental note to punish Boggrod in the future, Griphook decided that they had wasted enough time on the conversation and they should move on with the tests. "Right, now please extend your hand, Mr. Time. I warn you this might sting a bit." Gripping the boy's hand, the goblin ran the blade across the palm and stopped, letting the sponge like properties of the knife go to work as it soaked up some of the blood. After holding the blade for a few seconds, he quickly removed it and scraped it along the edge of the bowl, allowing the blood to trickle down into the water held at the bottom. Afterwards, the goblin dropped in the piece of paper and sat back to watch. Slowly, the water and blood began to merge and the solution started to glow a brilliant white. Suddenly, the entire hall was filled with the white light emanating from the bowl, which was now too bright to look directly at. Hissing, everyone in the hall covered their eyes with whatever they could use to avoid being blinded by it. Slowly, the light began to fade, and the water returned to its previous state. At the bottom of the bowl, the piece of paper remained blank.

Griphook stared in open shock at the boy before him. The bowl was a double test, as the color and strength of the light would indicate the nature of the wizard's or witch's core, and the piece of paper would record the appropriate identity of the person. Never had Griphook seen such a strong core, as most of the wizards only glowed enough to light maybe a foot of darkness, and there had only ever been one recorded case of a pure white core, and that was by Merlin himself.

"You are a most, _unusual_ wizard Mr. Time. The test, however, failed. We are unable to determine your identity. Allow me to extend this institution's dearest apologies." Griphook stated, staring at Time with an expression that could only be described as hunger. Shaking his head, the goblin reformed his face into the usual blank neutrality, and ushered Hagrid, Harry and Time over to a waiting goblin. "He will take you to your vaults." As soon as they rounded the corner and were out of sight, Griphook allowed the smirk that he was repressing to almost split has face in two. After all, if there was one thing a goblin loved, it was power. And Time's magical core must be a near bottomless pit of magical energy to produce such a bright light. "A most unusual wizard indeed," Griphook whispered to himself, before turning and starting his search for a certain goblin name Boggrod.

* * *

Harry had never seen so much gold in his life! There were mountains of it! And all his! Hagrid had given him a bag to hold some of it in, as he would be needing it for shopping. After filling the bag, they made one more stop before heading back up to the surface, Vault 318. It only had one thing in it, wrapped up in grubby packaging, and when questioned about it Hagrid was surprisingly tight lipped.

Once they reached the surface, Hagrid turned the pair loose on Diagon Alley, giving them their shopping list while he went to go to an 'errand.' Time had convinced Harry to visit an apothecary first, as he reasoned that there might be a cure for his eyesight here in this new world. They were all too happy to find a bottle of eyedrops that the shop-owner had claimed could cure any eye related problems. Upon putting them in, Harry had initially gone blind, but after a few minutes vision returned to his eyes.

"Time, somethings wrong. I can see, but everything's blurry." Harry spoke worriedly. Smirking, Time leaned forward and raised his hand to Harry's face. "That's because you're still wearing those glasses" he replied as he removed the now extraneous apparel. Blinking, Harry raised his hand to his face. "I can see," he said softly, before repeating loudly, "I can SEE!" Time smiled as he shook the shop-keeper's hand and paid for the drops. Exiting the store, they moved off into the alley to begin their real shopping. Excited, Time pointed to the first item on the list: wands.

* * *

Needless to say, both boys were practically shaking with anticipation when they made their first stop at Ollivanders. Walking in, the two boys were faced with rows upon rows of boxes all stacked up to the ceiling. Mr. Ollivander himself appeared from around the corner, evaluating the boys with huge eyes.

"Mr. Potter, I was wondering when I would see you," the old wizard stated as he walked over to the pair, pale eyes never leaving their faces. "I remember when your father and mother came here. Excellent wand choices I must say." he stated as he peered at Harry with those calculating eyes, as if he were sizing him up. "We're here to buy our wands sir." Time spoke up, a little annoyed at having been ignored, _again_.

Nodding his head, Ollivander procured for his vest a pair of tape measures that floated in the air before they started taking the sizes of the pair. Nodding again at the figures, Ollivander stepped to a shelf on the back wall. "I think we shall start with Mr. Potter's wand," he said in that breezy voice of his.

Reaching up, he pulled down a box before walking back over to the boys. "Here, try-" he was interrupted as the wand promptly shot out of Harry's hand and smashed a lamp. "No definitely not." Moving a little faster now, he grabbed a box from another stack before offering the wand to Harry, "Unicorn hair, Birch, 8 inches, try-" this time the wand simply disintegrated. Not perturbed at all, Ollivander looked appraisingly at Harry. "Tough customer, hmmm?" He then proceeded to try half the store on Harry, with varying levels of success, before stopping and holding a box in his hand. "I wonder…"

Slowly, he approached Harry, muttering quietly, "Holly, Phoenix feather" before extending the wand to Harry. As soon as his fingers touched the wand Harry felt a warm glow spread throughout his body, and as he held the wand a magical wind blew his hair back before calming and lying still. Ollivander looked at Harry with huge eyes. "Curious. Very Curious."

Harry looked at the wandmaker puzzled, before asking, "I'm sorry sir, but what's curious?" Green orbs peered into pale eyes as the wandmaker collected himself. "I make most of my wands using three types of cores, Mister Potter. Unicorn hair, dragon heart-string, and phoenix tail feather. The phoenix that gave its feather to me in order to make this wand also gave another feather. Just…one…other. It's curious that this wand should pledge its allegiance to you, when its brother, gave you that scar." His voice lowered as he said this, and Harry nodded in understanding.

Bobbing his head in a very good impression of an owl, Ollivander turned his attention to the other boy in his shop. "Now for you, Time." As soon as these words left his mouth a colossal banging began behind the wandmaker. Eyebrows shooting up into his scalp, Ollivander turned around and walked over to the door to his study. No sooner had he opened it when a piece of wood went flying out to come to rest hovering vertically right before Time, rotating slowly with the tip pointed straight up, visibly shaking in excitement.

Blue eyes widened as he appraised the wand, and raising a hand, he gripped the handle. Quivering, the wand tip exploded into light as a dragon made completely out of golden energy climbed out. Stretching its wings, it flew up to the ceiling and, tipping its wings, circled lazily twice around the shop before coming to rest on Time's shoulders. The magical avatar made a rumbling deep in its chest, which Time recognized as dragonic purring. Putting its nose against his neck, the dragon melted into the collar, across its surface, and into the dragon engraved into the medallion, which glowed white before slowly fading.

Immediately, Time felt a warm presence in his head and chest, radiating out from the collar. Closing his eyes in ecstasy as the feeling washed over him, never before having simply felt so _good_. Deep in his head, the same low rumbling could be heard, indicating that the dragon was content.

Hearing a snort, Time reopened his eyes to glare at the boy next to him. Smiling, Harry said to him, "That's twice in one day you've managed to make someone's jaw drop without even trying." Smirking to himself, Time admired his new wand. It was made, surprisingly, from what appeared to be bamboo, with five segments on the shaft and about ten ridges on the base, forming a natural handle. It was a yellow-gold color, but got lighter near the tip, appearing almost white there. Shuffling forward, Ollivander extended his hand and asked to examine it. However, upon trying to hold it, the wand had burnt his hand, and only cooled down when Time picked it back up again. "How much for the wands?" Time asked the old wandmaker, who was nursing his now injured hand. His pale eyes had never left the wand that was resting easily in the arm sheathe that Time and Harry had bought. "For Mr. Potter's wand I will charge thirty galleons. However, I find it remarkable how the wand that chose you, Mr. Time, found its way into my possession, because I did not make it, and thus cannot charge you for it. Thank you for a most interesting visit. Use that wand well."

A pair of sapphire orbs flashed as Time's grin lit up the shop, "Don't worry about that sir. I most certainly will." And with that the pair walked out of the shop.

* * *

The dark haired pair visited the clothing shop next, where the shopkeeper, a woman named Madame Malkin, was stumbling over herself to service the 'Boy-Who-Lived.' Harry and Time both got several pairs of standard school robes, along with several more casual pieces of clothing that Harry was overjoyed at, having lived his entire life with clothes far to big for him. It was actually a very interesting feeling, having clothes so close to his body, and he felt slightly compressed. Shrugging his shoulders, Harry decided that he would just have to get used to it.

Upon visiting the accessories section, Harry's eyes had instantly alighted on a collar sitting in a display case. It was maybe an inch wide and paper thin, yet smooth and silky to the touch and humming with magical properties. It was colored a deep emerald green, the exact same color as his eyes, with flecks of silver traced throughout, while small gold buttons wrapped completely around the circumference. Hanging from the buckle was a small white crystal in the shape of a lightning bolt. Upon inquiring the shop-keeper about it, Harry found out that it was made of interwoven strands of Unicorn hair and Acromantula silk, a very potent combination, as well as several very strong protective charms woven into the fabric. The crystal, he learned, could also act as a healing device, ranging from minor bruises to small cuts, and could help with larger wounds as well. It was if it had been specifically made for Harry. After paying for the collar, Harry quickly wrapped it around his neck and watched in one of the large mirrors scattered throughout the shop as the buckle glowed a faint blue while it sealed itself magically.

Walking out of the store sporting new robes and a collar, Harry pulled Time towards their next destination, looking for all the world like a pair of twins.

Their next stop was a book shop called Floursih and Blotts, where they promptly learned that Time had loved to read before he had lost his memories. The blue-eyed boy wandered through the shelves, grabbing random books and reading them right there, flipping through pages faster than should have been normal.

Walking up to him, Harry looked curiously at the boy as Time picked up yet another book and promptly started tearing through the pages. "How can you read like that?" Harry asked.

Shrugging his shoulders, Time didn't even bother to look up as he continued to devour the book. Scowling, Harry reached over and snatched the book away, "Are you actually reading, or are you looking for pictures? Or maybe you're just trying to make a fool of yourself? How much of what you just read can you actually remember?" Harry asked looking inquisitively at the boy, flicking the lightning bolt pendant on his collar.

Blue eyes narrowed as Time gazed back at the green-eyed boy. "All of it."

A dark eyebrow raised inquisitively, and Harry flipped open the book. "Right, let's test that shall we? Page 3, line 27. Go"

"The philosopher's stone is one of the most powerful magical artifacts ever created in this era. Capable of secreting a liquid called 'the Elixir of Life,' it can grant its wielder immortality. But that is not the only properties this miraculous artifact has: it can turn almost many objects into gold with just a touch, and is invaluable in creating powerful potions. Created in the fourteenth century by Nicholas Flamel, currently age six hundred and sixty three, he and his whife-"

Time was shut off by Harry snapping the book closed. "Okay, okay, I get it, you remember everything. Sheesh, that was terrifying. I didn't know that you were a _genius_!"

Shrugging his shoulders, Time replied in a slightly embarrassed voice, "Well, I wouldn't say genius. I just have a really good memory I guess. I mean, I don't _feel _smarter than anyone else, but I do seem to be able to notice and retain more than most."

Shifting closer, Harry peered into Time's eyes. "Do you think that's because you have no memories to begin with? Maybe your mind's compensating for the loss by trying to gather as much information as possible."

Nodding his head at the explanation, Time moved glanced down at the list he was carrying before moving off with the other boy on his heels to go find their required reading.

* * *

After completing their shopping, Harry and Time met back up with Hagrid and returned to the Leaky Cauldron, which they learned doubled as an inn. Hagrid's rumbling snores seemed to shake the entire establishment as Harry and Time laid in their respective beds. A shiver ran up Time's body, and he sighed yet again. He had gone to bed wearing all his clothes, but still it was unbelievably cold. Pulling the covers closer to him, he raised his head when he heard a whispered voice call out, "Time?"

Shifting so he faced the other, blue eyes me green. Smiling, Time thought to himself 'I was right. Without the glasses those eyes are practically glowing.' Exposing more of his face to the other, Time asked, "What is it, Harry?"

Emerald eyes peered out from the bundle of blankets before his voice once again floated through the room. "Are you cold?" Harry asked.

Nodding, Time responded, "Freezing."

"Me too." Harry said. Looking away, Harry steeled himself before looking back at those glowing sapphires. "Can I sleep with you?" he asked in a childish voice.

Time's eyes widened at the question, holding emerald orbs in their gaze as Harry peered at him hopefully. They stayed like that for a while before Time lifted the covers in an obvious invitation.

Dragging the covers with him, Harry got up from the bed and crawled in with Time, cuddling closer to the warmth that radiated from the other boy while he spread the extra cover's over the top of them. Eventually, with their combined body heat the bed began to warm up, and both bodies began to relax as the cold fled from the sheets. Sleep soon followed, and the pair sere quickly dreaming the dreams that only children could while they lay wrapped in each other's arms.

Above them, the moon looked down on the sleeping wizards, sending her healing rays in through the window to soothe the pair, preparing them for the trials that were soon to come the following morning. The star's shined down on the earth, and all was peaceful until the sun began to peak over the horizon, rapidly reclaiming the sky in a chorus of fanfare and triumph. A new day had dawned, both for the earth and for all of wizardkind.

* * *

**Special thanks to ****redstickbonbon**** for reviewing. You have no idea how much it helps to hear feedback, no matter how small**- Arudon


	4. Stop It!

**And the next one. Heehee, I'm having way too much fun with this. NOW I COMMAND YOU: READ (please?)**

* * *

Evil

There is no other word quite like that word, as it has no true opposite. Sure, people can say good, but good doesn't really cover it, as it is already the opposite of bad. There are words like 'saint-like' and 'altruistic' but none can truly oppose evil.

What does this say of the human race, hmm? You create a word so positively dripping with negative connotations and don't give it an equal? Does that mean that evil is inherently stronger than, well, not _good _as we already established. Ah, who am I to judge. But enough from me, back to the story

* * *

A booming chuckle was what woke Harry and Time, sending the two boys into a panic that only served to further entangle themselves in both each other and the sheets. After a few minutes of laborious effort, the boys managed to extricate themselves from the ball of fabric that used to be their bedding, before standing before the half-giant with identical looks of annoyed indignation, while Hagrid continued to wheeze in laughter and attempting to refrain from crying.

"If your quite finished!" spoke Harry, eyeing the man with cold-green eyes while fingering the lightning bolt pendant. This was the first morning he had ever seen without his glasses, and he was positively stunned at all the colors! There was so much that had been hidden from him before when he wore those cumbersome things, and he was never more thankful for Time's insistence on visiting that apothecary. However, it was also the first time he had ever had to disentangle himself from blankets, having never had more than a single ratty blanket that only covered half the cot back at the Dursleys.

Regaining his composure, Hagrid turned to look at the two boys before bellowing, "Well, I ken tell you two had a good nigh's sleep. If you wanna change clothes, we ken get going. Don' wanna miss the train, now do we?" Turning around, he squeeze himself back through the doorway before lumbering back down the hall.

Following the giant's advice, the boys changed clothes rapidly, dressing in their new clothes, which fit them perfectly. Checking to make sure their collars were in proper shape, they stepped out the door and headed down the stairs to the main pub, where several patrons were getting their early morning coffee, which was apparently a morning drink in both the muggle and wizarding worlds. Tom moved over as the pair took a seat at a table, smiling amicably. "What can I get you two lads?"

Looking at the menu, Time spoke first. "I think we'll have bacon and eggs, please." He smiled at the fond memories of the first meal he ever made, recalling how at the time he didn't even know what breakfast was. So much had changed in only two weeks. Shaking his head, Time glanced at a man that was attempting to leave the pub without being noticed, despite how he stuck out with his purple robes and turbin. The man stopped when he noticed Time's gaze, moving from the boy's face to his collar, then to his companion. The man's eyes widened when he saw Harry, and he once again turned back to the door, making to leave. He froze as a booming voice called out, "Professor Quirrell, fancy meetin you 'ere." Turning his head, Time looked to see Hagrid enter the room while beaming at the man with the turbin. "Time, 'arry, meet Professor Quirrell, 'es the defense against the dark arts teacher at Hogwarts. Professor, these two lads are Time an' 'arry Potter, their going to be in your class this year." Hagrid said genially.

Getting up, Harry moved over to the professor and extended his hand. "Please to meet you sir." Quirrell's eyes widened at the sight of the hand, before glancing back up and repsonding, "I-I-I'm hap-happy t-t-to meet you, P-P-Potter. I l-look f-f-forward t-to t-teaching you. N-Not that you n-need it eh," He said with a nervous smile at the end, still not shaking Harry's hand. This was followed by a long awkward silence, before Quirrell finally broke it, "I-I really should be l-leaving, s-s-school business. I-I will see you Hagrid." And with that the shaky Defense teacher pushed the door open and walked out into the street. No one caught the look of hunger and rage playing across his features. No-one but Time. That boy noticed everything.

Shaking his head at the sad excuse for a man, Hagrid explained to Harry the professors actions. "He's an alright bloke, once ye get to know 'im, but 'e ran inta some Vampires a few years ago. Man's never been tha same."

Nodding at the explanation, Harry moved back to his seat just as Tom came back out holding two plates of eggs and bacon. Upon seeing the food, Harry's stomach immediately growled, and he began to dig in, pausing to say, "Thanks" through a mouthful of egg.

* * *

The two boys sat across from each other as the train began to pick up speed. They had nearly missed it, and it was only thanks to that red haired woman that they had found platform 9 ¾. Hagrid had surprised both of them by buying them owls before they left the alley. Harry's was a snow white owl that he had named Hedwig, while Time's had been a pure silver owl with black wingtips and faceframe. Time had named him Merlin, as the owl looked old and wise enough to fit the name. Something about hearing the name being used as a curse word had sent Time into a laughing frenzy when he first heard it, but he couldn't place why. After boarding the Hogwarts Express, they had somehow found themselves alone in a compartment, while every one around them was rapidly filling up. A knock on the compartment door had both black haired boys' heads snapping up as a red haired boy with a freckled face poked his head around the corner.

"Do you mind if I sit here?" he asked, "Everyone else is full." He glanced at the two boys hopefully.

Two pairs of eyes sparkled with amusement. "Be our guest," said the one on the left, gesturing to the seat next to him. Smiling gratefully, the red haired boy sat down and promptly extended a hand, "Thanks. I'm Ron Weasley, by the way. What's your name?"

"Harry Potter."

Scoffing, Ron leveled his eyes at Harry with a look of annoyance. "Yeah right. And I'm Albus Dumbledore." He said sarcastically.

Harry simply looked confused at this. "But I thought you said you were Ron Weasley!" he exclaimed.

"Yeah, and you said you were Harry Potter." Ron said imperiously.

Time watched from across the way as Harry and Ron had a quick argument over the validity of his claim, before Harry finally managed to convince the red-head of his sincerity. Looking supremely embarrassed at having almost insulted his childhood icon, Ron asked cautiously. "Do you really have the...you know."

Looking puzzled, Harry pressed the other boy. "The what?"

Glancing at the lightning bolt pendant on the collar Harry wore, Ron glanced back up at Harry's eyes before asking quietly, "The scar?"

Grinning, Harry raised his hand to his head before brushing his bangs back to reveal the iconic lightning bolt. "Wicked..!" Ron breathed in amazement. A snort from the boy across from the two had both eyes turning to him. Ron had completely forgotten about him in his fascination of Harry, and once again extended his hand, "I'm sorry, what's your name."

Smiling, electric blue eyes twinkled before he grasped the extended hand. "My name is Time. Yes I know, funny name and all, but hey, it's the only one I got." Smiling, Ron shook the hand firmly before moving to where he could observe both boys at once. "So, what houses do you think you'll be in when we get to Hogwarts. I'm pretty sure I'll be in Gryffindor, seeing as almost my entire family's been in it, but you never know. My brothers said we had to fight a troll to decide, but I don't believe them. Do you think they were lying?"

Harry was the one who spoke up. "Ron, I can assure you that there will be no troll, but what do you mean by houses?"

Surprised and relieved, Ron quickly explained, "Well, there are four houses in Hogwarts: Gryffindor, Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff, and Slytherin. When you get there, you get sorted into one of them. It sort of becomes like your family. You go to classes with them, sleep in the same dorms, that sort of things. Oh, and there's points!"

Time looked confused at the last statement. "Points?"

"Well, actually its more of a point system really," said a feminine voice from the doorway. Turning, the three boys turned to see a fuzzy brown haired witch looking at them. She had both of her hands on either side of the doorframe to steady herself as the trained bounced along, and clearing her throat, she elaborated, "You earn points for your house by answering questions correctly for a teacher or doing good deeds, and you can have points taken away for doing something wrong or breaking the rules. And the house that has the most points at the end of the year wins the house cup." Smiling, the girl stepped farther into the compartment. "I'm Hermione Granger. Have any of you seen a toad? Neville's lost one." She motioned to a shy looking boy who was poking his head around the corner, who upon being noticed, let a frightened "eep!" and leapt back around the corner.

Smiling, Harry shifted in his seat before answering, "Sorry, none of us have seen one."

Brown eyes widened as the girl caught sight of the scar peeking through his messy black bangs. "You're Harry Potter! I've heard all about you, you stopped You-Know-Who."

Looking puzzled, Harry glanced between Ron and Hermione before asking, "You-Know-Who? Oh, you mean Voldemort?"

The red-haired wizard visibly flinched while Hermione wrinkled her nose at the mention of the dark wizard's name. Recovering, Ron turned to Harry and hissed, "What did you do that for?"

Looking even more confused, Harry looked at the ginger before asking, "Do what?"

Rolling his eyes, Ron responded almost immediately, "Saying his name, of course. You're not supposed to say his name."

Leaning forward, Time again spoke up. "I don't see why you would have to fear a name. I mean, from what I heard his followers only ever called him 'The Dark Lord.' It's not like they went around screaming his name and lighting people on fire, though they did do quite a bit of that. But your not going to bring instant fiery death down upon you by saying his name either. Way I see it, the fear of the name only increases the fear itself."

Ron and Hermione looked at him in amazement until their attention was brought back to the green eyed boy across the aisle by a slow condescending clap. "And there you have it folks! Time's philosophical moment of the day."

Sapphire orbs glared daggers at the dancing emeralds before turning back to stare out the window, mumbling threateningly, "Shut up, or I swear on Merlin's chest hair I'll throw you out this window, boy-who-lived or not."

And with that the two sat in silence as the ruby red train made its way across the country-side, slowly approaching their final destination.

* * *

After changing into their robes, Time, Harry, and Ron were herded along the rest of the first years towards a lake by a very familiar figure. Pulling Ron along, Harry and Time made their way over to the huge man as he was helping a small girl get into a boat. "Hagrid!" both boys shouted simultaneously.

Snapping his huge head up, Hagrid looked over to the two before his eyes crinkled, indicating that underneath that huge beard he was smiling. "Time, 'arry, good te see ye're 'gain. Best get yerselves into a boat now, we're 'bout to cast off."

Smiling, the trio made their way over to a boat that was as yet unoccupied. No sooner had they gotten themselves situated than the boat's moorings undid themselves and it started to move out into the lake to join a small flotilla of similar boats. Rounding the bend of their little harbor, three pairs of eyes widened as the castle came into view, situated on a high cliff, shimmering with torchlight and looking positively enchanting. After crossing the lake, the boats docked at a small pier that extended out from the shoreline before the assembled first years made their way up the winding path to the massive double oak doors, which opened noiselessly, a testament to both the engineering and the magic laced within the carving. Walking up a set of marble stairs, the first years halted and were instructed to wait until a teacher came to fetch them.

Harry was startled when a loud drawling voice reached his ears. "So it's true then. Harry Potter has come to Hogwarts." Immediately all the first years began to whisper as a blond boy with slicked back hair swaggered up to Harry, flanked on either side by two enormous boys. "This is Crabbe and Goyle, and I'm Malfoy. Draco Malfoy." Snorting, Ron turned his head to try to hide his grin. Silver eyes flashing, Malfoy looked over at Ron. "You think my name is funny, do you? No need to ask yours. Red hair, and a hand-me-down robe. You must be a Weasley." Ron turned his eyes down onto the floor, obviously embarrassed. Turning silver orbs back to Harry, Draco couldn't help but admire the other boy's body.

He was very small for his age, at least a half a head shorter than the rest of the first years, but instead of making him seem laughable it almost made him cute. Not to mention his emerald eyes were positively enchanting, and the collar he wore didn't help at all in lessening the effect. Smacking the distracting thoughts away, the pureblood heir continued with a smirk on his face. "You'll soon find out that some wizarding families are better than others. You don't want to go making friends with the wrong sort." Malfoy said, as he shot another look of contempt at Ron. "I can help you there," he said as he extended a hand to Harry.

Smiling, gleaming emeralds met quicksilver orbs before Harry responded. "Thanks Malfoy, but I think I can tell the wrong sort for myself."

Pale eyebrows drew down as silver eyes narrowed into a scowl. "Take the hand, Potter," Draco whispered threateningly, "you don't want _me_ as your enemy."

The blond looked down as he felt a hand on his chest just in time to be pushed back a few feet. Raising his lips in a snarl, silver orbs raised once again to meet a pair of brilliantly glowing sapphires. "Listen closely, Draco." Time whispered to the blond, noses practically touching due to their close proximity, "If I ever hear you threaten Harry again, I'll turn you into shoes."

Glowing silver eyes narrowed once again as Draco's face morphed into a smirk, "Well, we'll see how well you can do that without any arms and legs. Malfoy's can be quite thorough when we wish to get our hands dirty. Now get out of my face you scum, you're getting my robes dirty."

Time opened his mouth to reply when he was cut off by the door sweeping open and a lady dressed in green entered the hallway. "Attention first years, if you would please follow me, we are ready to begin the sorting."

* * *

The first years followed the lady, whom they soon learned was named Professor McGonagall, up the flight of stairs and into the huge hall where the rest of the students watched them. Floating candles cast a warm honey color all around them, and above them the starry night sky shone. "It's not the real sky," a familiar bossy voice floated along the column, "It's just bewitched to look like one. I read about it in _Hogwarts, A History._"

Ron smirked before turning to Harry and Time. "Definitely a Ravenclaw, that one."

The lady in green stopped them before the head table, where all the teachers sat looking at the first years. "Before we begin the sorting, Professor Dumbledore has a few announcements to make."

Sitting up, a very old man with a long white flowing beard cleared his throat, "I would like to say a few words. Firstly, to our first years, the Dark Forest is strictly out of bounds. Also, our caretaker Argus Filch has asked me to remind you all that the third floor on the right side is out of bounds to anyone who does not wish to die a most painful death." Two pairs of dark eyebrows raising at this, Time and Harry exchanged a glance before making an unspoken agreement to explore that area later. Standing up straight, McGonagall pulled out a list of names. "Abbot, Hannah" she called. The girl in question slowly made her way up to the stool where she then sat down and waited as a large, scruffy hat was placed on her head. The hat seemed to come to life, moving about before announcing loudly, "HUFFLEPUFF!" The table to the immediately left of the first years erupted into cheers as the girl made her way over to them.

Ron's jaw dropped as he turned his head to Time, who was standing next to him. "Those lying gits!" he exclaimed loudly, thinking of how his brothers had tried to fool him. "Told you so" Time replied with a smirk on his face.

Slowly, McGonagall worked her way through the list until she reached, "Potter, Harry." The entire hall quieted as Harry walked up to the stool. "Is that really him?" "I thought he'd be taller." "Is that a collar around his neck?" "I think he looks cute." These were just a few of the whispers that echoed around the hall as Harry sat down on the stool. Time was rather concerned as not all of the voices concerning Harry's cuteness were female. Shooting a nervous look back, he saw Time give him a thumb's up before the hat descended down on his head, obscuring his vision.

The hat debated for a while what to do with Harry, longer than many of the other students, before finally roaring out "GRYFFINDOR!" The table on the far left of the hall, from the perspective of the remaining first years, erupted into the loudest cheers yet ("We got Potter! We got Potter!"). After they quieted down, McGonagall continued calling names. Time was amused when the hat barely had to brush Draco Malfoy's head before shouting, "SLYTHERIN!" and was quite excited when Ron got into Gryffindor alongside Harry ("Ah, another Weasley!") before he saw the Professor pause, blinking rapidly while scrutinizing the list, as if trying to read something correctly. Raising her head and looking at the first years, she called out to the hall, "Time?" Behind her, one of the teachers raised his head and called out, "Seven thirty two, why do you ask?"

Stepping forward, Time made his way up to the stool. "No, no, professors, it's my name. I know, it's a bit strange." Scowling down at him, McGonagall lowered the hat onto his head and Time's vision was plunged into darkness.

He felt a finger of thought touch his mind before a white hot pain spiked through his head, as if he had been stabbed by a burning knife. Frowning, Time wondered what was going on before wincing as it was repeated. Suddenly, his entire face contorted in pain as he tried to keep himself from screaming out loud as the white hot knife firmly embedded itself in his thoughts and wormed its way in, trying to breach the floor of his mind.

_'Stop it!' _ He thought as he felt the presence grow annoyed as it was continually rebuffed. '_Show me your memories_' a voice responded, before he felt the knife twist again.

This time aloud, Time spoke through gritted teeth, "Stop it!" gaining him curious glances from the staff table, who were still unaware of the battle taking place inside the boy's head. Again the knife twisted, this time sinking a little deeper in. Screaming now, Time leaned his head back and cried out, "Stop it! Stop it PLEASE!"

Time visibly relaxed as he felt the presence pull completely out of his mind. Speaking aloud, the hat softly murmured its apologies, saying, "I'm sorry, I'm so sorry," over and over again, before finally speaking into his mind. '_Normally, I would place you based on the behavior I see in your memories. Most people have walls around their memories, but it never hurt before when I went in. I had no idea I was causing so much pain. I'm so sorry. That is quite a wall you have though, and your mind is far bigger than anything I have ever encountered. It's nigh on endless. I bet you could fit all the knowledge of the world in here and it still wouldn't be halfway full. But all your memories, except for the most recent ones, which very much to go on, are locked behind a wall that even I can't get through, which falls just short of impossible, as I was made specifically to do this. Since I can't access them, I'll just have to go on basic emotions._' Taking a moment to sift through them, the hat was amazed when he came up with a baffling amount of information. '_Clearly you are highly intelligent, genius I would go as far to say, but you are far too violent and hands on to be in Ravenclaw. Cunning beyond anything I have ever seen, but much too loyal to belong in Slytherin, but I don't think Gryffindor would suit you entirely either. And Hufflepuff is completely out of the question. Never have I seen so much magic in a single body, not since I first glanced my maker. You remind a lot of him, actually. Similar mind structure. Anyway, I can honestly say I have no idea where to put you._' Thinking to himself, Time eventually answered the hat's unspoken question, '_Just put me in Gryffindor, I would really like to be with Harry._' Mentally shrugging, the hat responded '_I thought so, all the loyalty I felt was directed towards that boy. __Gryffindor it is then._'

"Gryffindor." The hat spoke out loud, not nearly as loud as before, but McGonagall nodded and took that hat off the boys head. Attempting to help Time up, she was surprised when she felt her hand slapped away and looked into fiercely glowing blue eyes.

"I'm fine" he murmured to her. Before striding across a silent hall a plopping down right next to Harry, ignoring the stares of the entire hall while also ignorant to the fact that they still hadn't spoken a word.

Surely something truly remarkable had just happened, and everyone felt it. At the head of the staff table, the sky blue eyes of the headmaster watched the black haired boy, wondering just what he had allowed to enter Hogwarts.

* * *

**Chew on that for a little while, hmmm? anyway thanks for reading and don't forget to rate and **_**REVIEW! **_**Anyway, I am almost done with another chapter, and am cooking up something special for the holdidays. Stay tuned my bloved readers**** - **Arudon


	5. Flying Idiots Take Hogwarts

**Sorry for the wait, I was trying to clean up the mess I made of the last four chapters. Here's the next part. Don't you love the title? You do, don't lie to me! Anyway, ENJOY!**

* * *

Animosity

Well that is an easy word to explain, isn't it? In nature, rivals will always fight, especially for the essential needs. The same goes for humans as well. We will always compete, both for physical gain and moral superiority. But it is always the fighting between two particular rivals that spawns the particular case of animosity.

The ability to hate one another unreservedly, encompassing greed, wrath, and envy; three of the seven deadly sins. You humans are so violent, aren't you?

* * *

After dinner, all the assembled Gryffindors followed Ron's brother, who Time learned was named Percy and was something called a 'prefect' ("A WHAT? Did you say 'perfect?' Because I hate to break it to you Ron but he's not.") out of the Great Hall and up innumerable flights of stairs, which startled all of them by suddenly shifting places. "Be mindful of the staircases, they like to change a lot!" Percy called out to the rest of the kids. Paling, Time looked over the side of the staircase at the sheer drop below him. "Yeah, no kidding," he mumbled under his breath.

Following Percy up countless flights of stairs ("Seriously, how big is this place?") they finally reached a dead end corridor with a portrait of a fat lady in a large pink dress. "Password?" asked the lady, staring at Percy expectantly. "Mimbulus-toffy" Percy spoke loudly. Nodding, the portrait swung inwards, revealing a hole in the wall through which Percy climbed through. Wondering at the reasoning behind all the secrecy, Time, Harry and Ron crawled through the portal to be greeted by a large room decorated with red tapestries and furniture. Most of the tapestries portrayed lion's, but others depicted knights performing noble deeds such as rescuing princesses and slaying dragons (Time winced at that last one, still a little sensitive from the incident in Ollivanders.)

Percy strode into the center of the room before turning to face the new Gryffindors. "Welcome to Gryffindor Common Rooms. On either side of me are two staircases leading to your dormitories. Girls on the left, boys on the right. Now, as to behavior…" Percy then launched into a long winded speech about proper etiquette in the common rooms that was obviously designed to impress the first years. However, its import was severely hampered at the sight of the Weasley Twins making faces at their older brother from behind his back and spelling out swear words in the air. By the time he was finished, the entire house was having to hold their sides and bite their lips in an effort to keep from exploding into laughter.

Moving up the staircase (I swear if I have to climb another bloody flight of stairs someone is getting thrown off the astronomy tower!) the first year boys made their way to their dormitory. Upon entering, they were greeted with the sight of six four-poster beds with red draw back curtains awaiting them, their trunks resting at the foot of each boy's designated bed. Calling dibs on the showers, Ron grabbed his bathroom supplies and ran into the adjoining room. Sighing, Harry sat on his bed, exhausted after all the emotional upheaval he had gone through upon arriving at the school. First had been his meeting with Malfoy, who had rivaled even Dudley in terms of annoyance and pomp. Then there had been the alarming moment when he thought the sorting hat was going to put him in Slytherin, the very house that he had been warned against. He was delighted that Ron had joined him at the table, and both had been shocked when, despite expectations, Hermione Granger had been placed in Gryffindor instead of Ravenclaw. What the old hat had been thinking Harry couldn't even begin to fathom. And then, there had been the most trying moment of all. Time.

Glancing over at the boy, Harry eyed the collar that shifted around on his neck, ever fascinated by the almost liquid-like material and medallion. Worry etched across his face when he recalled the events of the past hour.

Harry's breath had frozen in his lungs when he had seen the first wince cross the blue-eyed boys face. His entire body had gone rigid when he watched the face that he had grown to know so well contort in agony. Harry had never been so terrified in his life when he saw that look, knowing that it was the first time since they met that Time had shown any sign of pain. The boy usually kept it locked up under the surface, choosing to deal with it on his own. He had been wholly unprepared for the screams that had erupted from the other boy's mouth, and he had moved to stand only to feel an arm on his shoulder restrain him. Looking sideways, he had met Ron's eyes as the red-head had given a shake of his head, firmly holding Harry in his chair as the sorting hat had mumbled something to the boy in the near silent hall.

After the feast had begun in earnest, the teachers had tried multiple times to pull the boy out of the hall to examine him, but without fail, Time had slapped away their hands and returned their concerned looks with his rapidly developing death glare. There was something in seeing the cold fury in those blue eyes that always gave Harry the chills, even when he wasn't the recipient of it.

Rolling over to lie on his stomach, Harry turned to fully face the boy who occupied his thoughts, which was currently lying, eyes closed, on the bed next to Harry in possibly the most undignified position Harry had ever seen. "Getting comfortable?" Harry asked with a mischievous note in his voice. Cracking an eyelid, Time regarded Harry for a moment before giving a nonchalant shrug of the shoulders.

Sighing, Harry looked closer at the boy. "You had me really worried back there, what happened?"

Moving into a sitting position, Time turned to fully face the green-eyed boy, fingers moving to his collar in what was rapidly becoming a nervous habit. "I learned something about myself today Harry." Time said, looking at the wizard with a slightly nervous expression on his face.

"And?" Harry pressed, growing annoyed at the other boy's reluctance. Looking again at Harry, Time redirected his eyes to the roof of his bed. "The hat, well, it looks into people's minds Harry. That's how he sorts people. Chiefly, he examines their behavior that he gleans from their memories. He tried to look at mine, but couldn't get through. Said that he was completely blocked off by some sort of wall in my head. That's why it hurt so much when he tried to force his way in. He also told me that my mind was larger than anything he had ever seen, with compartment slots and memory slots that could, and I quote, 'all the knowledge in the world and only be half full.' And all of that space is empty. Everything hidden behind the wall. I know exactly who I am, Harry. Except for some reason, I can't remember. Everything I am, all that I know, is locked inside my head behind a wall so perfect that there is no possible way to retrieve it. And you know what? That scares me more than anything that I have ever known."

"Which isn't that impressive considering you can't remember past a few weeks." Harry put in. Blue eyes returned to Harry, who moved to a sitting position directly in front of him. "Listen, Time. I understand why that would make you scared. But I want to make something very clear: I don't care what's behind that wall, as long as you know that you will _always_ be my friend, regardless of who you were, what you did or anything along those lines. Understand?" Green eyes looked into blue ones, holding them and not allowing them to look away until they gave confirmation.

Smiling, Time nodded his head. "Thanks."

"Don't mention it. Now, I think we've been rather rude to our new roommates. Don't you think we should introduce ourselves?" Harry asked. Nodding his head, Time got up and moved to introduce the pair to the three other boys.

Seamus Finnigan and Dean Thomas were delighted to finally make the acquaintance of the mysterious pair. When rumor had gone round the train that Harry Potter was onboard, both boys had been ecstatic and had been crossing their fingers that the boy would end up in their house. They were overjoyed when they got their wish, but were shocked when they saw an almost identical boy have such a horrible reaction to the Sorting Hat. Even more so when the boy was finally put in Gryffindor, which the table was unsure of how to react to. And to top it all off, the boy had not only slapped away Professor McGonagall's hand, the Gryffindor head of house, but had sat right next to _Harry bloody Potter,_ as if he had known him from before.

As they had watched the two interact, they had seen Harry pat the other boy on the shoulder while a small red-haired boy shoveled food into his mouth on the other side of the collared wizard. Dean's thoughts had been interrupted by Seamus' drink exploding into a fireball, and they had decided they would talk later where there would be less possibility for collateral damage.

Time extended his hand to the two boys as they made their introductions. They learned through careful observation that Time was the quieter of the two boys, appearing to be aloof and disinterested in the conversation while in actuality was listening intently. Harry was nearly the complete opposite, eagerly engaging in conversation and smiling the whole time. Eventually, Ron joined them, and each of the boys took their turn in the shower before climbing into bed and wishing each other a good night.

* * *

Time's dreams were far from restful. Falling through his consciousness, he landed on what appeared to be flat black plane. Before his eyes, the scene around him began to grow brighter, as the yellow orange light of flames revealed twisted bodies of families ripped apart by some beasts, while all around him a town burned. Screams echoed in his ears, and fireballs exploded all around him. He bent down when he felt something tugging at his ankle, only to see a snake peering up at him with glowing orange eyes. ~"You did this! Why did you do this?! They're dead, all of them _dead_, because of you!"~ the snake screamed at him.

Rising from the ground, its form began to swirl, until it solidified with the appearance of a black haired boy, maybe a few years older than Time, with deep, unsettling orange eyes and glowing red pupils that seemed to peer into his very soul. Rooted to the spot in fear, Time could only watch as the stranger pulled out a sword from a dead child lying nearby.

Not even bothering to wipe the blade clean of the child's blood, the man held the sword aloft while stalking closer to Time, speaking in the same voice as the snake. ~"You're a murderer, little Dragon. And this is the reward that murderers deserve."~ A flash of steel was all that Time saw before he felt a sharp pain pierce through his abdomen. Looking down, he saw the hilt of the sword embedded through his chest, but still he didn't fall. Looking back up, blue eyes met swirling orange vortexes as the man began to laugh.

* * *

Time shot up in his bed, sweating all over and holding a hand to his chest, right where the sword had stabbed him. Shaking his head, he shoved the disturbing images from his mind. "Only a dream," he repeated to himself again and again, as he tried to calm his racing heart, "it was only a dream."

'But it felt so real!' part of his mind screamed. Then the more rational part of his consciousness, his logic, kicked the screaming part into submission. Calming down, Time knew, without even casting the tempus spell, that it was 6:27. They would be leaving for breakfast by 7:30, so he figured he might as well get a jump start on the day. Grabbing an extra pair of clothes, he tiptoed over to the bathroom before clicking the lock into place.

Turning about, Time froze when he saw the same man leering at him from a mirror. Letting out a surprised yelp, Time jumped back and banged his head on the door. When he looked back at the mirror, the image was gone. "Great, now you're jumping at ghosts," he said to himself. Still a little jumpy, Time got up from the floor and, after stripping, made his way over to a shower stall. Turning the water on, Time relaxed into the warm stream of water, allowing it to wash away the troubling thoughts and images that had plagued him. He stood in the stream for about five minutes before shutting it off and getting out. He walked over to a sink and stared intently into the mirror. "Who are you?" he asked in a quiet voice to the mirror image. '_Time_' replied a voice in his head. Shaking his head, the blue-eyed boy dressed quickly before making his way to the door.

After stepping out of the bathroom, Time rolled his eyes at the sight of all the boys still sleeping. Picking up a metal dish someone had left lying around, he started banging on the wall while yelling, "Wakey, wakey, sunshine!" He got mixed reactions from this. Dean sat straight up in bed screaming while Seamus rolled out entirely. Harry had already been half awake, and as he was a lot more accustomed to harsh awakenings than anyone else in the room, simply sat up in his bed, albeit a lot more gently than Dean. Neville, the quiet boy whom Time had barely talked to, buried his body under the covers while Ron responded with a snort and a murmured, "Bloody hell."

* * *

After dressing, the first year boys descended as a group to breakfast, where they made introductions with the ghosts. They had all been disgusted when, in response to Hermione's question of being _nearly_ headless, Sir Nicholas had tilted his head to reveal the contents of his non-existent-stomach. Halfway through the meal, Harry turned to Time and asked him, "Hey, do you know who that teacher is?" pointing to a greasy black-haired man with an incredibly long and crooked nose. "That's Professor Snape," Percy said from across the table. "Teaches potions, but we all know he fancies defense against the dark arts. He's wanted the job for ages. Why do you ask?" He asked this last part with a slight raising of red-eyebrows. Glancing back down at his food, Harry flicked the pendant of his collar absently as he responded quietly, "No reason. Just curious." He really didn't want people to know that the professor had been staring at him with an expression that could only be described as loathing.

After breakfast was done, McGonagall passed out the syllabuses that would indicate which classes the students were to be taking. Harry and Time's schedules matched exactly, along with Ron and Hermione's. They found out the last one to a bit of dismay.

Their first class in charms was quite enchanting, what with the teacher having to stand atop a massive pile of books just to reach eye level with the first years. History of Magic was a joke, as everyone except Time and Hermione fell asleep during the introduction. Honestly, the old ghost was possibly the most boring teacher in the school. Herbology was interesting to say the least, and it gave them some time to be outside for a while. Defense against the dark arts was almost as bad as the history of magic class had been, as Quirrell barely managed to stammer through the role call and had just begun the introduction when the bell rang. Plus, the whole classroom smelled like garlic.

Potions, however, was a disaster. It was located in the dungeons, and was the second class of the day they had to take with the Slytherins. Snape was incredibly sarcastic, rude, and completely biased towards his own house. Time was surprised at that, as McGonagall had not shown any preference when they had shown up to her class late, under the completely honest excuse of having gotten lost. The changing staircases didn't help at all, often making the castle impossible to navigate. The potions class had started going downhill before it even started, as Time and Harry had another run-in with Draco Malfoy again. Well, actually it was mostly Time and Draco having a pissing contest, trading insults that were so witty and ingenious that several older students began to take notes, particularly the Slytherins, while the rest of the students stared in open mouthed shock as the insults became more violent and threatening.

The crowd was pretty sure they were about to see a full on fight between the pureblood "pompous maggot" and the "cuckoo clock" when Snape rounded the corner, his cloak billowing out behind him. Instantly breaking off, both Time and Malfoy switched from threatening murder to exchanging tips on note-taking faster than a blink of an eye. Raising an eyebrow at the sight of supposed inter-house friendliness, Snape walked past the two and opened the door to the classroom. With parting shots of, "Your hair looks like someone wanked into it." (-Time) "And that collar makes you look like a slut!" (-Draco) the two boys entered the classroom, leading their respective houses to either side.

They were surprised when Snape chose to pick on Harry during his lecture, asking him several questions that even some of the upper levels had a hard time answering. This of course led to points being taken from Gryffindor as Hermione answered without being called on, making the Slytherins all the happier. After struggling through the class, of which they were assigned to write a full essay on the aspects of dragon dung, Time's estimation of the teacher had dropped into the negatives, especially after he had humiliated Harry. Honestly, it scared Time how loyal he was to the boy. After heading up to dinner, the exhausted Gryffindors made their way back up to the common room before heading off to bed.

* * *

The rest of the month of September passed as they fell into this routine, during which time the joint rivalry between Time/Harry and Draco had risen to legendary status, and several older students would follow both respective parties in hopes of picking up some new insults should the three boys meet. Also during this period, Time had discovered the library, and, according to Hermione, had promptly devoured almost all the books except those shelved within the restricted section. Madame Pince, the librarian, had actually revoked his library privileges for trying to sneak in one day. This particular stunt left the rest of the school wondering how the hell he hadn't ended up in Ravenclaw, but it hardly seemed to change even a single one of the boy's curious mannerisms, except now he was at the very top of his class in every subject and had begun to pull ahead of Malfoy in terms of creativity and eloquence of insults, forcing the young Slytherin to step up his game. Also, halfway through the month, the First years got their first flying lesson. It led to one of the most sensational events the school had ever seen.

* * *

Madame Hooch led the youngsters out onto the grounds, where brooms were arranged in two long rows. Ordering the students to place themselves on the right side of the broom, the flight instructor began the simple instructions, "Extend your right over the broom and shout, very clearly, 'UP!'"

This was followed by a chorus of "Up's" from the assembled first years, only three having first time success, which didn't surprise anyone as they consisted of Time, Harry, and Draco. The rest of the classes' brooms were hovering in the air with varying altitude, some a few feet while others only a few inches. Hermione's broom, much to the amusement of everyone gathered, was flopping back and forth on the ground like a dead fish, to the annoyance of the bushy-haired witch. Neville's actually sprang up and smacked him in the face before flopping back down on the ground, leaving the boy dazed.

After everyone had finally managed to get their brooms into their hands, Hooch proceeded. "Right. Mount your brooms with your right foot. And on the blast of the whistle, kick up firmly. Mr. Longbottom, Mr. Longbottom! Please come down!" she called as she watched the ashen faced boy rise higher and higher into the air, before the broom made an almighty shake and threw the poor boy into the wall of the castle, where he fell the rest of the way down, landing with a 'CRACK,' that had everyone present wincing in sympathy. Rushing over to the boy, she helped the boy up and caught how he held his right hand close to his body. "Nobody flies until I return!" She shouted to the rest of the class. "I don't want to have any more accidents." She then walked off, firmly leading a shaking Neville towards the hospital wing.

Picking up something off the ground, Draco smirked and called out, "Hey look everyone, Longbottom's dropped his remembral!" This sent the rest of the Slytherins into a cackling fit and brought a certain black haired pair over. Stepping forward, Harry was the one to speak first. "Hand that over, Malfoy."

Draco smirked before shooting Time a dirty look. "Or what Potter? You're going to sic your attack dog on me?" By this time, the rest of the students had come running over, eager to hear the next installment in the long running feud between the two. Time actually grinned from ear to ear before responding sarcastically, "Oh, so I'm a dog now? I thought I was a cuckoo. Oh well, at least if I have some form of mobility I'll be happy, as compared to crawling around on my belly and groveling at my father's feet like a certain arrogant twat." Time's smile had turned sinister, revealing his teeth and looking more like a snarl than a smile. Silver eyes flashed a dangerous hue as Draco returned the smile. "I wouldn't bring up father's if I were you, cuckoo. I seem to recall that Scar-head here had his father blown-up, while you….Well, for all we know you crawled out of the ground one day and got sent here to burden the rest of us with your filth. Face it, you collar wearing whores, neither of you have families."

Harry gritted his teeth at the mention of his parent's murder, but like always it was Time who managed to return a level-headed response/insult. "And I wouldn't be too proud of my own family if I (not that I'd want to be) were you, Malfoy. Your family's been inbreeding for a very long time. Did you know that your great-great grandmother actually married her own brother before having an affair with her father? By the way, it was her father that finally managed to get her pregnant. Now be a good little inbred bastard and hand over the remembral, before I do the world a favor and permanently remove your (I'm sure very small) reproductive organs." He said the last part while extending his hand palm up.

Draco looked at the extended hand as if it were a pile of something revolting before physically moving away, wiping imaginary dirt off his robes. Looking back up, he smirked and hopped onto his broom, cackling, "I don't see why you would want it so bad. After all, clumsy-McGee will forget he lost it. But if you really want it, come and get why don't you?" And with that he shot off into the sky, wheeling about in the air to look down at the pair as he took their rivalry to new heights (AN: Yes, pun intended. Please clap at my brilliance.)

Snatching their brooms up, the two Gryffindors rocketed up to sit level with Draco, who was casually tossing the remembral up and down in the air with a huge smirk on his face. Silver eyes met blue, and suddenly Time and Draco were racing side by side through the air, smacking at each other while the black-haired one tried to take the ball from the blond. Mean-while Harry floated along behind and beneath them, ready in case the ball should fall. Realizing he would not be able to shake the collared boy, Draco flung the remembral away from him while smacking again at a snatching hand.

Harry watched the ball fall and, putting on a burst of speed, caught it right before it would have gone through the window of the charm's classroom. Startled, Flitwick fell off the top of his book pile while his third year class raced to the window to watch the boy-who-lived glide back to the ground while above him two boys on brooms looked to be in the middle of shoving contest. Flitwick, by now having got back up and glanced out the window, was about to shout at the two boys when they abruptly broke off and glided back to the ground, scowling at each other. Shaking his head, Flitwick snapped at his class to get back to their seats, while he made a flu call to both Minerva McGonagall and Severus Snape. They would both be interested to know about their star-students' antics.

The first years were cheering for the three as they descended, swarming Harry in praise for the terrific catch. Ron was particularly happy, "I knew you'd be a seeker, mate! You have the perfect build for it!" he cried out. It was no secret that Ron was a Chudley Cannons fan, and quiditch was one of the greatest loves of his life. He had been disheartened to hear that first years couldn't compete for tryouts, but he was determined to try to get on the team next year. Time and Malfoy descended slowly, both looking extremely disgusted at the fact that they had touched the other. As soon as they landed, they moved apart, each muttering threats to the other ("A shame, I really liked these robes.") and Time walked over and clapped Harry on the back. "Nice catch."

Smiling, Harry shrugged his shoulders. "It was nothing."

"I'll say it was something," said a voice behind them. Whirling around, Harry and Time both gulped as they saw Madame Hooch's death-glare. Behind her stood two teachers: McGonagall and Snape. "Mr. Potter, Time, could you please come with me?" the Gryffindor head-of-house asked, her tone making it blaringly obvious that it wasn't a question. Snape smirked at the pair's discomfort, before turning to his godson. "Draco, with me." Nodding the blond moved to his side while Time and Harry followed after McGonagall.

* * *

Leading them through the hallways, the lady finally stopped at the door to the defense classroom before knocking and opening it gently. "I'm sorry, Professor Quirrell, but may I borrow Wood please?"

Harry and Time looked at each other, both horrified at what 'Wood' could be. Maybe a giant, magic paddle that was used on students who misbehaved? Both paled at the thought.

Wood turned out to be a fifth year boy, who had a large build and angular face. Looking between the two boys and the teacher, Wood asked, "You wanted to speak to me, professor?"

Nodding, McGonagall got a gleam in her eye, "Wood, I think I have found you a new seeker and chaser!"

The Fifth-year's eyes lit up at that statement, and walking around the pair, sized them up. "Yeah, I can definitely see it. Harry has just the right build to be a seeker. But a chaser? Are you sure?" He looked at Time like he was trying to decide whether to buy a piece meat. McGonagall explained the incident with a hint of pride in her voice, especially when she reached Time's part. "He flew around the grounds at high speeds while all the while fighting with Mr. Malfoy over possession of a ball, and managed to force Malfoy into dropping it!" she exclaimed.

Time looked down, a little embarrassed. "Well, it was more like he threw it, but yeah..." his words trailed off as he saw the hungry, almost fanatical look in Wood's eyes. 'I can't believe how many times I've seen that look on people's faces whenever Harry and I are involved,' he thought to himself.

Turning to McGonagall, Wood looked positively thrilled. "Well, I'll have to evaluate their skills, but with the Headmaster's permission we'll probably have two new players this year." He walked back into classroom with a smile plastered across his face, which was still there the next time the two saw him.

They learned from McGonagall that they were still going to be punished for breaking the rules, and Time, Harry, and Draco would be performing their detention with Hagrid. Time smirked at the idea of being in the dark forest with the youngest Malfoy. The pathetic idiot will probably sod his pants at the idea. Harry was only too happy at the prospect of meeting up with Hagrid again.

* * *

Three days later found all four meeting at the edge of the dark forest, Draco looking altogether way too smug about something. "Right, foller me!" called the half-giant as he began to lumber off into the forest while the three wizards trotted behind him, two subtly trying to trip up the other while the third looked on in amusement. They walked for what seemed hours but was in reality only twenty five minutes before Hagrid stopped and bent down. Extending two fingers, he dabbed them in a silvery puddle lying at their feet. "See this? It's Unicorn blood. Found one injured few days ago. It's our job ta find it an' catch it before it hurts itself. We'll be splittin' up to cover more ground: 'arry'll be comin' with me, an' Time an' Draco will be the other team."

Draco looked horrified at this statement. "Now wait, you can't just-" Draco was cut off by Hagrid cocking his crossbow. "If ye' need me, just shoot red sparks with ye're wan's. Green sparks if ye find the Unicorn." Nodding sullenly, the blond glanced at Time before putting his nose in the air and walking off.

"The trail leads this way, idiot!" Time called out to the blond, who strode back and went in the direction indicated by the other. "I knew that," he said pompously.

Speaking softly, so only he himself could hear, Time responded. "Right, and I can remember my last name." Shaking his head to rid himself of the melancholy thoughts, Time strode after the silver-eyed boy, who was by now far ahead of him and making enough noise to wake the dead.

* * *

They had been walking in mutual silence for about an hour when Time suddenly held up his hand to halt the blond. Glancing at the blue-eyed boy, Draco watched as he bent down and pulled a long strand of silver hair from a root. "Unicorn hair. We're getting close." Time said as he continued forward, eyes low to the ground. Amazed that the collared wizard had managed to catch that in the dark, Draco followed at a leisurely pace with his hands in his pockets, more than willing to let the other do all the work. Thus it was no surprise when he stumbled right into Time when the boy stopped suddenly, sending them both tumbling forward into a clearing.

Pushing the blond off him, Time sat up and looked back at the scene in front of him. There on the ground, on the other side of the clearing, was a dead Unicorn with a shadowed figure sucking at its neck and making grotesque noises. Looking up from its feast, the cloaked figure turned, revealing a mouth covered in silver Unicorn blood, its face hidden by the deep hood. Scrambling back as the figure stood up and began to stalk menacingly towards him, Time flexed his wrist and felt the warm wood of his wand slide into his hand from its sheath hidden up his sleave. His mind raced to find a possible spell that would fend off the figure, and finding several options, he picked the simplest one and raised his wand.

The figure stopped at the sight of the wood, and Time was just about to utter his spell when an arrow whizzed by him, almost embedding itself in the figure, which promptly turned and fled through the trees. Turning, Time saw Draco standing beside a large horse that had a human torso where a neck should have been. A centaur, Time realized. He then noticed the bow in the centaur's hand, and flicked his eyes towards the centaur's face. Electric blue eyes met sky blue, and the centaur made a placating gesture. "Easy, young foal. I mean you no harm. Your friend here alerted me to your peril, and I came as quickly as I could. I am Firenze."

Nodding, Time once again flexed his wrist, retracting the wand back into its sheathe. It was a special sheathe that he had insisted that he and Harry buy for their wands, as with a simple flick of your wrist you could have your wand in your hand instantly, and just as easily sheathe it. Plus, the wand would not get in the way of any motions, as the sheathe kept it inside a separate pouch that was bigger on the inside. The only reason it wasn't more common was the fact that many wizards like to show off their wands, instead of keeping them hidden. That, coupled with the fact that the arm sheathe was typically considered an antic-device, led to its near disappearance from everyday life. Time thought that it was absurd, and would never sacrifice practically for looks on anything. As it was, it surprised Draco, who had only ever seen one before. They were considered a rarity by many pure-blood families, due to its warlike associations.

Firenze led the two back out of the forest, where they met up with Hagrid and explained the situation. He was stunned to hear the Unicorn was dead, and even more at the creature who did it. But all they could get out of Firenze for an explanation was that it was a, "dark presence."

After bidding them farewell, the centaur turned and leapt back into the forest, disappearing from sight only a few feet within the treeline. Shaking their heads, Time and Harry went back up to their castle, exchanging a few choice words with Malfoy that had no real force behind them before parting ways.

When he reached his dormitory, Draco stopped and realized something that he hadn't thought of before. "Did I just save Time's life?" he asked himself incredulously. Shaking his head at his own idiocy, he moved to his dormitories showers. Up in Gryffindor tower, Time was having the exact same revelation, only in reverse: "Did Draco Malfoy just save my life?" he wondered to himself as he stood in the hot stream. "No, I could have taken that thing, I know I could have." He tried to convince himself of this fact the entire time he prepared for bed, before finally giving up and sinking onto the matress, quickly falling into the land of dreams. However, the only thing that awaited him there was a black-haired man with dancing orange eyes.

* * *

**Alright, there it is, Guys. I'll probably have the next one up tomorrow. Rate and Review!** - Arudon


	6. Trolls, Dogs, and a Very Stupid Bet

**Alright, here's the next chapter. How do you think I'm doing on Chapter length? I could try to make them longer, but it would require extended periods before updating. Also, I will be doing my own editing until I get a beta, so that, plus everyday life, equals a lot of delay. Thank goodness for the holidays rapidly approaching. Expect an increase in chapter size and time intervals then. Anyway, on to the story.**

* * *

Memories.

Little electronic signatures locked away in our brains, detailing the events of our lives. What are we without them, really? Nothing but empty shells moving around. Nobodies home if their not there. If you were to take away all a man's memories, and then tell them to him, without letting him relive it, would he still be the same man?

Or would something completely new be created. Another life, born anew.

Or perhaps it would leave only a shell of a man, a memory without any memories. Drifting alone in a wide, wide world.

Quite depressing how dependant we are on those little things.

Memories. I wonder..?

* * *

The rest of the first month of school passed by without any change in routine or rhythm, though Time and Harry did go to the Quiditch tryouts at Wood's request, and they learned that the headmaster had given the OK to let the first years play, based on their highly advanced skill. They also learned that this had been extended to Draco Malfoy as well, who would be playing seeker for the Slytherin house, much to Harry's chagrin. October rolled around, and with it brought the changing of the leaves and talk of Halloween.

Ron and Hermione had been butting heads recently, and it came to a head in charms class. The were practicing the levitation spell, when Ron made a particularly dunderheaded move. Harry and Time's were both floating around the ceiling, while Hermione's was floating exactly halfway up, performing what looked like a midair Russian hop-skip dance. Seamus had managed to add his feather to the growing list of pyrotechnics he had accumulated over the year. Honestly, whenever that kid pulled out his wand, odds are something was going to blow up, catch fire, or explode with lots of colorful fire.

Hermione leaned over and spoke to Ron in an attempt to correct him. "It's Levi-OH-sah, not Levioh-SAH." Ron glared at the witch, before rolling his eyes and snorting. "Mind your own business, you great know-it-all!" The witch looked at him with confusion in her eyes. How could he be such a large hypocrite, she wondered. One of his best friends had single handedly eaten the library over the course of a week, and had a supernatural amount of memory space. Why was it that she was so disliked when Time was so accepted (the obvious reason was that if anyone tried to bother Time, they probably wouldn't be able to show their faces after the verbal/possibly physical assault they would receive in retaliation.)

* * *

After class, Ron walked across the courtyard with Harry and Time in tow. "Honestly, I can only just stand you, Time, at least you don't rub it in our faces that your smarter than us. No wonder she's got no friends, great know-it-all can't tell when to shut up." He stopped talking as a pile of bushy brown hair rushed past him, head down and shaking slightly. Leaning over, Harry spoke in Ron's ear, "I think she heard you mate." Ron looked a little guilty after that, and remained in a sullen mood all day, especially when he heard at lunch that Hermione had been in the girl's bathroom all day, crying.

He began to cheer up when he saw the castle lit up for the Halloween feast, and was just tucking in to a huge pumpkin pie when the doors to the great hall flew open and Quirrell came sprinting in. "TROLL! TROLL IN THE DUNGEONS!" he cried out, before stopping and swaying, "Thought you'd want to know." After that he promptly collapsed, sending all the student's into a panic. Standing up, Dumbledore raised his wand to his throat and his voice, magically amplified, echoed around the hall. "SILEEEEEENCE!" Immediately the students began to calm down, and when he finally had all of their attention, spoke in a much calmer voice. "All students to their dormitories. Teachers and staff with me." Sky-blue eyes swept the hall as the students gradually formed into lines, following their prefects out of the Great Hall.

Ron was looking forlornly at his unfinished pie when he and Time were grabbed by Harry, who whispered in their ears, "Hermione! She doesn't know about the troll!" Looking at his face, Time saw the determination in his friend's eyes. Rolling his electric-blue orbs, Time muttered to Harry, "Alright, fine, we'll go get her. But if we die on this, I'll kill you Harry." Snorting in amusement, Ron followed after the pair of collared wizards as they quietly snuck from the hall and down to the second floor bathrooms. They were walking along a corridor when Time, who was leading, held up his hand and stopped just before a corner. Peering around it, he saw the troll rumble past along the conjoining corridor. "Come on, we have to reach the bathroom before it does." All three boy's heads snapped up as they heard an earsplitting shriek, followed closely by the troll's monstrous bellows. "Too late," Harry said, before dashing around the corner and entering the bathroom, followed closely by his two friends.

He stopped when he saw the large gray troll standing over a quivering Hermione, who had backed herself into a corner and was shaking in fear. Ron's voice ripped out from his left, startling both him and the Troll. "HEY!" he shouted at the top of his lungs.

The troll turned, eyeing the three newcomers with obvious stupidity, before lumbering toward them with a deep, "Garaaaagh!" Leaping into action, the three boys split apart, Time running to help Hermione while Harry latched onto the thing's head, while Ron shouted in a loud voice to keep the thing confused. Pulling the shaking girl around the struggling troll, Time had to stop when Hermione's legs just collapsed. Shaking his head, he bent down and hoisted her up bridal-style before sprinting out of the bathroom. Shaking its head, the troll finally managed to get a firm grip on the dark-haired Gryffindor that was wrapped around its neck, pulling him off and holding him dangling upside down. Swinging at the boy, the troll roared when he missed, Harry having pulled out of the way. "Ron, do something!" he shouted as he dodged another swipe. "But what should I do?" Ron yelled exasperated. "ANYTHING!" Harry yelled, desperately dodging yet another swing of the club. Steeling himself, Ron raised his wand and spoke in a clear, calm voice that belied his terror, "Wingardiam Levi-OH-sah!"

The troll's club was pulled out of its hand, and the thing looked stupidly at it before letting out a confused, "Huh?" With a flick of his wand, Ron sent the club crashing down on the giant buffoons head. Swaying, it dropped Harry before a complete 360 degree turn and flopping down on the stone floor. Stepping back into the room, Time spoke up, "Is it dead?" As if in answer the troll let out a rumbling snore. "Guess not" Harry said as he strode over and pulled his wand out from where it had gone up the things nose. "Ewww, troll boogies" Ron said, looking thoroughly disgusted. Before he could say more, however, the teachers bustled into to the bathroom, taking in the destruction of the bathroom, unconscious troll, and three ragged looking first years before McGonagall stepped forward and demanded an explanation.

"Potter, Weasley, Time, what in Grimm's name happened here?" the head-of-house asked incredulously. "It was my fault, Professor," said a feminine voice from behind her. Turning, the transfiguration professor saw Hermione Granger standing before her, eyeing the troll with obvious apprehension and missing the three incredulous looks the boys gave to the lioness. "I was in the loo, crying," she elaborated, doing a perfect impersonation of a sensitive little girl, "when that _thing_ came in. When it saw me, it started swinging its club around and bellowing. Then these three showed up and saved me. Without them, I would be dead." She looked down at the ground as she finished her tale, looking positively dejected. Time had to hand it to her, the girl knew how to act. Turning back to the boys, McGonagall looked at them with an appraising eye. "Is this true."

"Yes," "Absolutely!" "More or less." The last one was Time's response, who was examining the troll with great interest. Raising an eyebrow, McGonagall considered her response before saying, "Very well, 10 points to each of you for showing extraordinary bravery and being able to tackle a fully grown mountain troll. 5 points from Ms Granger for being out of bounds when ordered to head back to the common room. Speaking of which, I think it's time for all four of you to head to bed."

Nodding, the tree boys and girl exited the bathroom before moving up the stairs. While they walked, Ron moved over to Hermione with a guilty look in his eye. "I'm so sorry for what I said earlier. I don't know what I was thinking and I shouldn't have done it. Is there any way I can make it up to you?" He asked the last part with a hopeful look in his eyes.

Looking at the red-haired boy, Hermione took her time before answering. "I accept your apology, Ronald, but please don't say such things again. It was very hurtful of you."

Nodding and looking a little better, Ron and Hermione walked next to each other while the two collared wizards followed slightly behind them, eyeing them with incredulous looks. Not twenty-four hours ago Ron couldn't stop going on about how Hermione was such a huge know-it-all, and here they were walking side by side as if nothing had happened. Young minds truly were incredible. After making their way back up to the common room, they said their good-byes and headed up to bed, truly astounded at the day's events.

* * *

A week later found the four of them moving up a staircase in an attempt to reach the History of Magic classroom, when the staircase switched from one side of the wall to the other. Looking at the door that loomed in front of them, the four shrugged and went through. As soon as they had all passed through the frame, the door shut and, looking around, the four saw they were in a near abandoned part of the school. There were next to no torches, and the gargoyles all looked particularly twisted. "Where are we?" Ron asked curiously, glancing around at the dark hallway. "We're not supposed to be here. This is the third floor corridor, the one that's off limits!" Hermione cried out, edging back toward the door. Stepping forward, Harry flashed a roguish smile at the girl. "Come on, Hermione, where's your Gryffindor sense of adventure?" he asked as he stepped further into the corridor, Time following after him. Rolling her eyes, Hermione followed after the two while Ron brought up the rear.

They stopped when they were heard the grumbling of Filch the caretaker, and all four leaped into a door that was conveniently placed. Closing the door, the listened as the squib stumbled past, grumbling to himself, "blasted castle, probably just some ghosts," before moving past the door. The three let out a sigh of relief before they saw Time looking in the opposite direction, his entire body absolutely rigid, "Don't…Make…Any…Sudden…Moves" he said through gritted teeth. Turning slowly, the three saw what Time was so worried about. There, in the center of the room, was a gigantic, drooling, three-headed dog. Suddenly all three heads started barking, and the Cerberus lunged forward.

Flicking his wrist, Time felt the warm wood of his wand in his hand as he cast a spell through gritted teeth, "_Lumos Cantaros_!" A bright flash of light blasted from his wand, temporarily blinding everyone in the room except Time, who had shut his eyes.

Snapping them open, he turned and twisted the door handle, pushing his three friends out the door and slamming it shut behind them before the dog had a chance to recover. Gasping for breath, he pushed the three of them to the door of the corridor, before finally getting them all out onto the staircase, which was innocently waiting for them. Shaking, he sat down on the steps as his three friends slowly recovered their eyesight. "Warn me next time, mate!" Ron murmured angrily, rubbing his eyes as he tried to get his vision to return. "Quick thinking though," Harry complimented, his collar already having healed his eyes. Hermione looked torn between panicking and admiring Time for his quick spell work. She eventually compromised and settled on scolding Harry. "Next time the teacher's forbid something, I would do well to heed their warning Harry. We could have been killed, or worse, expelled." She said the last word with a shudder, as if being expelled was the cruelest thing she could think of doing to a person.

"Alright, alright, I think we've had enough excitement. Let's just get back to Professor Binn's class without anymore interruptions." Time said imperiously. And as if on cue, the stairway moved back the other way, reattaching to the corridor that would take them straight there. "Oh, now you move?" Time asked, looking at the staircase incredulously, which shuddered as if laughing at him. Shaking his head, he led his friends down the correct corridor and into the history classroom.

Their interruption of the lecture led to several students waking up, including a certain blond, who looked as if Christmas had come early. "Well, well, well, if it isn't the collared freaks, the Weasel, and the furball. What were _you_ all doing out in the corridor, eh? Actually, wait, don't answer that, I honestly couldn't care less." Half the class gave a sleepy laugh at the blonde's snarky comments, shaking each other in preparation for another verbal duel between the blue and silver-eyed boys. "Well, I wouldn't expect you to have any interest in what we do. After all, your soft, pureblood mind can barely handle the simplest of concepts. And if you must know, we were actually taking an extended vacation where we wouldn't have to be near you." Time responded nonchalantly as he sat down in his usual seat next to Harry and Ron, as far away from Draco as physically possible. Smirking the blond glanced back at the teacher, who had decided the best way to handle the situation was to ignore it, before shooting off a reply: "We'll see how confident you are when I knock you off your broom this quiditch match. By the way, what are you going to be riding? I didn't know you could even afford fitting clothes, let alone a broom." Smirking, Time leaned forward and spoke in a low whisper that was somehow loud enough to echo around the classroom. "Tell you what, Malfoy, I'll bet you anything that my broom, whatever it is, we'll be twice as fast as whatever you've got!"

A devilish glint appeared in Malfoy's silver orbs. "Anything, hmmm? Dangerous choice of words, cuckoo clock. Let's see, what would be a fitting punishment for challenging me?" He glanced around at his housemates, many of whom were grinning maliciously, before one, a female with bright blond hair, whispered something in Draco's ear. Eyes brightening, his smirk grew even wider. "Excellent idea, Pansy. Loser has to swim in the black lake on Christmas day. Naked. And with no magical heating charms."

Blue-eyes widened at the proclamation. "Are you kidding? If either of us tried that we'd end up freezing to death, or drowning in your case as I highly doubt you can even swim." He sat back in his chair and started thinking it over. Grinning, Draco leaned towards the other boy. "What's the matter, cuckoo, scared you'll lose?"

Grinning, Time looked at the blond before answering, "Nope, just thinking about how I would be able to get you off the bottom of the black lake without having to actually touch you. I really like these hands, it would be a shame to have to amputate them should they come into contact with your slimy skin. In case you haven't already picked up on it, your on, Malfoy!"

A grin split the young Slytherin's face in half. "I look forward to it, my dear cuckoo clock. I wonder just how long you'll be in the hospital wing after you get out. Or you could just die and rid this castle of your filth. We'll see."

* * *

By the end of the day, the whole school was raving about the bet, and higher students were actually placing money on the bet. The Weasley twins were having a field day, and their poll box was rapidly becoming the most popular. The teacher's realized something was going on, as almost half the school signed up early to stay at school during the winter break so they could witness the event. Meanwhile in the Gryffindor common room, the Boy-Who-Lived was giving the Boy-Who-Fell-From-The-Sky a firm tongue lashing.

"What the hell were you thinking, making a bet like that? What are you going to do if you lose?" Harry asked angrily, pacing back and forth in front of the couch that Time had strewn himself carelessly across. Gryffindors eyed the strange boy: he had probably the strangest sleeping habits in the school, capable of falling asleep in practically any position. One time he actually fell asleep standing up during a 'practical' assessment in DADA class, and they only realized when he didn't move after the bell rang. Harry had actually had to shake him awake, upon which Time had awoken violently and punched him without meaning to. He had been sorry for the rest of the day, seemingly making a conscious effort to _stay_ conscious for the rest of their classes.

Time looked up as Harry finished his rant, yawning and sitting up. "Oh ye of little faith! How could you insinuate that that pompous, brainless, hairless baboon could ever beat me. Besides, if he does, (which he won't) I intend to honor our bet."

"But Time, you'll have to swim in the black lake in the dead of winter! You'll freeze to death!" Harry yelled, annoyed at how little attention the black haired boy was giving him. Sighing, Time looked into Harry's eyes. "Harry, I memorized every book in the library not in the restricted section. There are over a thousand different ways I can build a broom that will go faster than whatever Malfoy can come up with. And besides, even if he somehow manages to beat me, I think I'll be able to survive a little water. Don't worry Harry, I know what I'm doing."

Shaking his head, Harry spoke again. "That's the problem, Time. _You're _not worried, so I have to worry for you. Malfoy may be an arrogant prat, but he's not stupid, and he's certainly not weak. _And_, he hates losing. He's going to do everything in his power to see that he's not the one to take a dip, so buck up and start taking this seriously!" Time looked at Harry as if seeing him for the first time. Nodding his head, he laid back down and closed his eyes, soaking up the warmth the fire gave off.

* * *

Deep below them, Draco was having a very similar talk with his friends. Shocking, yes, the blond did actually have friends, and not just bodyguards.

Blaise was sitting across from the blond aristocrat, staring at him with dark brown eyes. "You do realize you have just challenged the most gifted student in this school to a grudge match, don't you?" Blaise asked, his voiced laced with concern. Silver eyes rolled at this, and Draco shifted so that he was closer to the fire, much the same way Time was. "He's just a show-off with a collar. Thinks he's all tough because he's all buddy-buddy with the 'boy-who-lived.' Honestly, he's nothing to worry about. Besides, I have father working to fix up a broom that will top anything this school has ever seen. Trust me, no matter how smart he is, he won't beat me."

Blaise just shook his head at the blonde's arrogant attitude. "He ate the library in a week, Draco. Ate it, every single book. That kid's a walking encyclopedia of magical knowledge, and everything but the restricted section is locked up in his head. You _cannot_ take him lightly!" Blaise slammed his arms down on the armchairs as he said this, drawing several looks from his housemates.

Blaise didn't care. He had watched the rivalry between the two grow since the moment he had entered Hogwarts. He couldn't even begin to count how many times the blond had walked away from a confrontation seething with pent up anger. No matter how good of a cut he gave, the black-haired boy always managed to turn even the most damning insult into a compliment, before returning the favor. That was Time's specialty: he could turn his humiliation into a chance to show off. It was maddening for Draco, and Blaise could see it. Draco needed to win this bet. Otherwise, he feared the blond would tear himself apart with all the pent up frustration.

Nodding slowly, Draco attempted to calm his friend. "I know Blaise, I know. I'll take him seriously, but I _will_ win this. A lot more than just my ego is riding on this, but the integrity of the Slytherin house. I will not fail." Getting up out of his chair, he turned and walked out of the common room, heading towards their dormitory. After closing the door, he let the anger he was feeling flash across his face. "No matter what it takes…." He let the sentence hang in the air before getting dressed for bed.

* * *

Time stood at the top of a high tower, overlooking a ruined city that had bodies strewn everywhere. Looking down, he saw blood running through the sewers in great waves, turning the water red. Behind him, the voice of the orange-eyed boy called out again. ~"You see it know, don't you. All the death and destruction you've caused. This is who you really are, Dragon. You are the destroyer of all."~ Time gasped as he felt the sword bathed in an innocent's blood slide through the center of his chest, yet still he did not feel the expected pain of his heart stopping. His breath caught as he felt warm breath on his neck, the orange-eyed boy having gotten a lot closer somehow.

~"Do you know why you aren't dead, my Dragon? It's because I will not allow you to. You will suffer a thousand deaths before I am done with you."~ He hissed venomously, his voice dripping with malice, yet at the same time, hunger. Closing his eyes, Time tried to move away as he felt hands ghost over his neck, tracing his jugular and windpipe. Gasping again, Time cried out in a breathless voice, "Why are you doing this to me?"

The touching stopped, and the boy retracted the sword and turned Time to face him. Swirling orange eyes stared hypnotically into blue ones. ~"Because, my dear Dragon, you deserve it."~ At that he opened his mouth, revealing two snake like fangs that he sank into Time's neck, injecting venom while pulling the struggling boy closer to him. ~"Because you're mine to punish"~ he whispered, and then, stepping back, held Time at arm's length. ~"And, mostly, because it's fun."~ At that he pushed him off the side of the tower, relishing in the screams of the blue-eyed boy as he plummeted to his doom.

* * *

Screaming, Time sat straight up, grasping at his neck to feel no hands or fangs there, only his collar. Relaxing slowly, he decided he had stayed up long enough and dragged himself off the couch and up the stairs and into his bed. However, he did not sleep at all that night. Too terrified of what he would see should he close his eyes.

* * *

**Ohhh, poor Time. Tortured by whatever the hell that thing is. Maybe you'll find out what he is next time. Maybe, if you're nice and actually bother to _REVIEWWWWW!_ Come on guys give me some feedback. Please?! I'm dying in a corner here. **-Arudon

**PS: Do be safe, holidays can be hectic**


	7. I Hate Snakes

**Well, here's the next big chunk. Sorry for the long wait. I had an event that I had to go to, and tomorrow is d-day for me. Anyway, enjoy this read, and thanks for the feedback.**

* * *

Pain.

Well, that is a subject we are all intimately familiar with, aren't we. We all feel pain from the moment we breathe our first breath. Without pain, we would never learn, we would never grow. We could not survive without it. Our bodies learn to avoid it, our sense of self-preservation is built upon it. Many a brave man has claimed that no matter what pain he undergoes, he will never break. And then it begins, and he will crack. Eventually, we all do.

Only those that are stupid don't.

Are you stupid? I didn't think so.

* * *

"STOP IT!" Time screamed out across the barren landscape, as he watched the orange-eyed stranger hack apart yet another family. All around him were strewn the corpses of men, women, and children, all mangled horribly, their blood flowing across the wind-swept plains they were standing on. As, he watched, he saw the blood pool and form strange markings in the sands, a pattern of lines and dashes interlocked with circles. Somehow, Time realized it was a language, and that it was spelling: YOUR FAULT.

Grimacing, Time tried to raise a foot, but as usual, he was held in place by some kind of force. Looking back up, he let out a yelp at the sight of twin orange vortexes staring at him from only a few inches away. ~"Now, now, none of that, little Dragon. We can't have you breaking free of the mental lock. We've only just gotten started."~ The boy spoke in a light, velvety voice that was just as hypnotizing as his eyes were, coupled with an edge of insanity. Stepping back, the stranger pulled out a glowing blue knife and twirled it between his fingers, eyeing Time with an almost predatory look and bringing it ever closer to boy's face.

"Mental lock?" the sapphire-eyed boy inquired, eyeing the ominously glowing dagger. Smiling widely, displaying two fangs, the boy stepped closer, bringing the knife under Time's chin. ~"Yes, the mental lock. How else do you think I could keep you from moving around. Small as it currently is, this is still your mind, Dragon."~ Lowering the knife, the boy slid it under the collar, moving the cold, razor sharp edge back and forth across Time's skin. There was something about the knife that terrified Time, as if he instinctively knew that it was dangerous beyond anything he'd encountered. The blue aura around it made him feel weak and cold wherever it touched, leaving him bare before this stranger. "What, what do you mean? My mind? You're invading my head?" Time's voice elevated an octave on the last word, as the boy had pricked the skin just above his jugular with the knife. He yelped as he felt the knife pull away from his neck and slash down his front, ripping open his shirt and leaving a very fine, shallow line across the pale skin of his chest. Looking back up, he stared once again into the hypnotic orange eyes that were admiring his now exposed chest.

~"Well, I wouldn't say invading. I do technically live here, and you've met me countless times. You just can't remember me. Here let me show you."~ Suddenly, the windswept plains and bodies were gone, and Time felt a solid object against his back. Pulling Time along with him, the boy moved away from the object, and turned his head to look at it. Time glanced over and his heart practically stopped beating. "IS that?" he started to ask breathlessly. ~"Ding, ding, ding, you guessed it! That, my little Dragon, is the wall. That's the dam that's holding back all the flood of memories. Everything you ever did, ever were, ever _knew_, is behind it. You, your family, your home, your loved ones, even your own name. Oh yes, and me."~ Blue eyes widened at the last admittance.

Seeing Time's questioning gaze, the orange eyed boy decided to elaborate. ~"Oh, I can hear what you're thinking: 'But how are you out?' Well, let me tell you, dearest, you remember me too well. See, I was always breaking the rules you made, always doing the impossible, and if you didn't watch me, then I would be off wreaking havoc. So, naturally, when you made this thing, I was able to slip out. I can't do it during the day time, when your wide awake and watching. But when the Dragon's asleep, the Snake comes out to play."~ He smiled at Time again, displaying his huge fangs. "Are you a vampire?" Time asked, eyeing the fangs with apprehension. ~"Oh, these?"~ The boy asked, gesturing to his mouth and chuckling. ~"No, and don't you ever compare me to one of those blood sucking half-wits ever again. I have the wrong sort of fangs for that. And as punishment, I think you should learn a lesson first hand on what they're for, little Dragon!"~ At this he lunged forward, tackling Time to the ground, and running his hands over his pale chest, breathing in deeply, as if scenting the air. ~"You never cease to amaze me, little Dragon. Even a memory version of me is still captivated by you. Your scent is practically mesmerizing. Still, it's nothing compared to how you _should_ smell. The aftertaste is all wrong. I know, you've been corrupted by that boy, haven't you. The one with the green eyes?"~

Sitting down on the ground, the Snake pulled a shivering, paralyzed Time into his lap, licking at his jugular while a mist-form of Harry appeared before them. Solidifying, Harry's eyes widened as he saw Time, and he started to run towards them. A strong wind picked up, and Harry's feet could find no purchase in the sand. He appeared to be running in place. His lips moved, but whatever the words were, they were lost to Time. Chuckling, the orange-eyed boy shifted Time off his lap, leaning him against the wall so he had a good view of both Harry and the snake. ~"Watch closely, little Dragon. This is what happens when you forget who you are."~ And with that he began to stalk towards Harry, the blue dagger appearing once again in his hand. "No, NO! STAY AWAY FROM HIM YOU BASTARD!" Time's voice echoed out across the plain, but the Snake paid no mind to him as he got nearer and nearer to the emerald eyed boy.

Time could only watch as the wind stopped.

Watch as Harry swung a fist at the snake.

At how the arm seemed to separate from the body.

At how the knife merged with his chest.

At how eyelids closed slowly over bright green eyes, staring at Time and forming a last, unspoken word, "_Why?_"

Time's scream ripped across the plain, and the dream, or mental lock as the snake had called it, was shattered, leaving only a laughing madman with brilliant orange eyes and an imposing gray wall.

* * *

Time sat up in his bed, covered in sweat and grasping at his throat, fearing the feelings of fangs there. He slowly calmed down as he felt none, and began to catalogue his dream for later analyses. He realized he had just had a first hand look at his own psyche, and the only way he could keep from going insane was to prevent the feelings to reach his emotions. If he let the panic overwhelm, he might as well turn himself over to whatever the wizard equivalent of an insane asylum was, because there would be nothing left of his mind. Getting up, he moved over to stand before Harry's bed. Staring down, he let his exterior crack, showing the turmoil raging inside of him. Silently, a tear trickled down his face as he stared at the other boy. "I won't let anyone hurt you. Ever. I swear, Harry, I swear," he whispered, so quietly that only he himself could hear it.

Then, wiping his eyes, he turned about and began his morning routine, going to the shower and waking everyone up in time for breakfast.

* * *

It had been one week since he had made the bet with Draco, and he had a personal project that he had to focus one. He had already made several trips to the Forbidden forest to gather the necessary supplies, and all he needed now was a few key potion ingredients. Looks like Snape was soon going to be missing his powdered dragon teeth and doxy quills. During the break period, Time moved quietly to the seventh floor on the south hand side of the castle. He walked back and forth across the left hand side of the corridor three times before stopping and waiting as the expected door appeared in front of him. He had found this room very early on, and it was immensely useful. It was called the room of requirement, and Time was currently using it as a workshop.

The reason lay on a table in the center of the room. Four long pieces of wood were laying side by side lengthwise down the table, runes carved all around their sides and in between them. Books were scattered all around, opened to pages on ancient looking texts and intricate runes. Some were written in cryptic looking languages, but Time seemed to have no problem reading them as he scrutinized a particularly complex diagram of an air-resistance rune. Nodding to himself after having completed some mental calculations, he tweaked a few lines on an identical rune lying on the table. It was almost done. Soon, that arrogant, pompous twat would be drowning in the black lake. Pausing in the doorway, Time glanced back at his unfinished project, an apologetic look on his face. "I'm sorry, I'll finish you soon. Don't worry." And with that he strode down the corridor, a confident smile on his face.

* * *

Meanwhile, at lunch, which Time had decided to skip, Draco Malfoy got a very large present from his father. It was a very long, thin package, and the eagle-owl that was carrying was being assisted by a pure silver owl with black wingtips and face-frame. Pausing in midair, the two owls floated for a moment, the silver one hooting questioningly at the eagle, before the tired bird gave a responding clack of his beak and they both swooped over to the Slytherin table. After they deposited the long package, the eagle-owl flopped on his side, heaving in exhaustion, while the silver owl hopped about it worriedly. Draco glanced at the two nervously, before extending a hand to soothe the silver owl. The bird looked at the blond, before clacking its beak in warning, nodding at the eagle-owl and swooping back out the window of the great hall. "Was that Merlin?" asked a red-headed Gryffindor from across the hall. "Yeah, what was Time's owl doing?" The Gryffindor then put their heads together to try to come up with a logical explanation for the scene they had just witnessed. Shaking his head at their idiocy, Draco pulled out some owl treats and laid them next to the exhausted eagle-owl, who was still lying on the table.

Then, he pulled the package to him, admiring the letter attached to it. He snapped it off the wrapping, and, opening it, took in the fine print of his father before scrutinizing it and reading what it had to say.

_Draco,_

_I had better hope for your sake that you do not embarrass our family with this stunt you intend to pull off. It is bad enough that you lowered yourself to trading blows with that mudblood, but I will not tolerate it if I hear that you humiliated yourself in front of the entire school. You'll find enclosed in this package the key to your success, paid for by the Malfoy family and made personally by the finest broom maker in all of England. Should you fail, even with the very expensive aid I am providing you, I honestly don't care if you come home or not for Christmas, for you will no longer be worthy of my concern. If you succeed, however, expect great rewards on your end of term. Your mother sends you her love, and I send my aid and hope that you will live up to your expectations. Remember, you are a Malfoy._

_Luscius Malfoy._

Sighing at his father's dramatics, Draco folded up the letter and put it in his pocket. The whole table leaned in to see what the Prince of Slytherin had received as his hands moved to the carefully wrapped packaging. With a sound of ripping, the paper fell away, and the students let out a collective gasp at the thing of beauty lying before them.

The broom was pure black, with a silver handgrip and an angular nosecone. The footrests of the broom were farther back than normal, meaning the flyer would have to practically lie down to manuever properly. The tail was beautiful as well, black near the base and tapering t a white point. _Drachma, _the name of the broom, was written in silver lettering along the underside of the shaft. Blaise, who was sitting next to Draco, spoke first, breaking the silence. "Well, the Malfoy reputation never fails to disappoint. Well done Draco, you've managed to earn yourself a completely unique broom." All the Slytherins nodded appreciatively, but their attention was stolen as yet again, two owls had reentered the hall. This time, it was a snowy owl, Potter's owl Draco noted with contempt, and the same silver owl from before, Merlin he thought its name was.

Merlin looked particularly perturbed at having to help not one, but two exhausted owls with ridiculous packages. The featherweight charm that had been placed upon the objects were cancelled out by the school's protective wards, yet people still expected the owls to carry packages that weighed twice, and in some cases three times, their weight. It annoyed Merlin that people ignored this fact, especially when it lead to the suffering of his fellow owls. The only human who ever seemed to think was Merlin's owner, Time. There was more sense in that boy than the owl had seen in a long time (haha), and the owl was truly grateful that he had been bought by him. He helped Hedwig set down the heavy package in front of her owner, who's name Merlin had actually took the time to learn, instead of just labeling him with his generic title of, "Not-Time." Hooting in thanks, Hedwig and he flew from the hall, back to the owlry, and hopefully some mice on the way.

Harry stared at the broom that he had received. It was the newest model, the Nimbus 2000, and he marveled at the fact that it was supposed to currently be the fastest broom in the world. Ron was just saying how they weren't going to have any problem this game, not with this broom on their side, when he was interrupted by a familiar drawl, "Well now, looks like I am going to have some decent competition after all." They looked up to see the blond Prince of Slytherin striding over to them, a confident smirk on his face and a jet black broom tucked under his arm, accompanied by an entourage of Slytherins. He stopped when he saw it was Harry, not Time, and his face became a little dejected. But only for a moment, and within a second his smirk was back on his face.

"Oh wait, never mind, it's the scar-head we're talking about. Sorry boy's, but that piece of junk isn't going to last a minute compared to what my father got me. Now where's the cuckoo clock, I want to see the look on his face when he sees this." He gestured to his broom. Ron's eyes widened upon sighting it, and he became a little bit nervous. "What kind of broom is that Malfoy?" Ron asked.

Malfoy looked as if he had been insulted. "How dare you address me with such a tone, Weasley. You should know your place. As for what kind of broom this is, it's a unique model. See, unlike others, some wizards can afford the best." He ended this with a proud smirk, not noticing the quiet opening and closing of the Great Hall door.

A high, melodic voice echoed through the hall, sending shivers down all the students spines as the beautiful notes hit their ears. "Don't worry Ron, he's just trying to assure everyone that his wallet will be large enough to pay for all the bills he's going to have to go through for his treatment at Saint Mungo's. Honestly, you shouldn't get so worked up. Also, Malfoy, I'm fairly certain that that is far too close to be standing to my friends. I don't want an inbred fool rubbing off on my house." Time strode up the aisle, his cold blue gaze never leaving the blond. Draco smirked. 'Finally, one worthy enough to receive my scorn' he thought to himself, before raising his voice and replying snarkily, "Well, thank you for those words of warning. I certainly don't want to collect any diseases from these flea bitten lions. We snakes have much more class. But I don't see why you would be concerned, cuckoo; it would only increase the IQ of your whole table."

Time shivered at his use of the word 'Snake,' the word bringing to mind bad memories. Shaking his head, he took in the broom that the blond was not-so-subtly giving him a good look at. "Ironic that you would say that to me, Malfoy, particularly after your performance on that arithmancy test. Plus, I'm ahead of you in every class, so that put's your supposed IQ into perspective. And I could go on for days about your choice of companions," Here he eyed Crabbe and Goyle, who shifted uncomfortably under his gaze, before continuing. "But that's not what I'm here for. I can see that you've got your own broom, which you had daddy pay for. I wonder how long you were down on your knees for that one." The older students winced at the innuendo, while several, particularly the Weasley twins, had charmed pieces of parchment and quills to record the entire conversation.

Silver orbs flashing, Draco smirked before responding to the black haired boys jab. "Says the boy who's wearing a collar. I wonder if you're some kind of escaped experiment that's designed to look as slutty as possible and annoy the rest of intelligent society. Anyway, people who live in glass houses shouldn't throw stones. Where's your broom?" Draco smiled triumphantly at the look of surprise that ran across the boy's face. Shrugging his shoulder's, Time began to make his way around the table. "It's currently in the final stages of development, but with a few more added ingredients, I should be finished. Now if you'll please excuse me, I would like to eat my lunch without conversing with someone whom I would rather gut than talk to on any given day."

Draco had stopped listening after the first sentence. "Wait, so you're saying you're making it on your own? In the name of Merlin, I have absolutely nothing to fear. Enjoy your crash landing into the lake, cuckoo clock." And with that, the smirking blond left the Great Hall, laughing his head off. The only one of the Slytherins that did not look unconcerned was Blaise, who shot a concerned look at Time before hurrying from the hall.

Relaxing visibly, Time plopped down next to Harry, ignoring the rustle of parchment from the rest of the older students as they put their notes away. "Arrogant, pompous headed, twat kicking, over-bearing son of a…" the rest of the words that flowed from Time's mouth would have burned the ears off of almost any sane person, especially considering how there were insults consisting of at least five languages besides English mixed in to the mumbled stream of curse words. Ron's eyes widened in amazement as he picked up French, German, some sort of African dialect, Bulgarian, and something that he could have sworn was Parseltongue. The stream was cut off by an elbow from Harry, who glanced around apologetically at his friend's less than savory behavior.

* * *

Two more weeks passed, in which time Snape had blown up about someone raiding his stores, but was stunned that he had no way of identifying the culprit. He of course blamed the Gryffindors, and was particularly harsh in the point deductions for that day. The school, however, was much, much more concerned about the upcoming event that would soon be taking place on the Hogwarts grounds. The first quiditch match of the season was upon them, and Time's broom had finally been completed. He looked back on the day of its creation.

_Flashback:_

_Time moved around the table, the finished poultice in hand, before he smeared it across the four pieces of wood, mumbling the proper incantation_ _that would allow the potion to merge with the wood, giving it the required magical properties. Finished, Time stepped back and fell into a crouch, eyes closed and wand extended towards the wood. It lay on the ground inside a massive circle that had several high functioning magical runes on the outside. At his murmured spells, the runes glowed a bright green, before shifting to blue, yellow, red, and finally flashing a blinding white light. When Time looked up, the broom was finished, and was sitting in the center of the circle, vibrating happily._

_End Flashback_

* * *

Glancing down at it, Time couldn't help but marvel at its beauty. It was made of bamboo, the same material of his wand, and had the same series of ridges that his wand did for a hand grip. Inscribed along the sides of the wood were two dragons, wings extending and maws wide open, ending at the tip of the broom. The tail was made of fine polymer twigs that, upon looking closely, one would find to actually be very fine strips of bamboo held together by the magic of the core. The first time he had mounted it, Time had known in an instant that it was no ordinary broom, as it had shot straight into the air without his command, and proceeded to hover, not moving a twig, appearing for all the world to be waiting for commands. With a single touch of his hand, the broom rotated exactly how far Time wanted it to turn.

Suddenly getting an idea, Time visualized a course that would take him through an erratic series of loops and spins to end up at the other goal post. As soon as he said 'GO' with his mind, the broom took off, its rider not even having to guide it. 'This is truly incredible!' Time thought to himself, as he hung on to the broom as it did a spiral corkscrew in the air. Soon, he gave up completely trying to control the broom, and instead started learning how to simply visualize a course and set it in motion.

By the end of the practice he was outflying the entire team, almost forgetting he was even on a broom. The broom was fast, impossibly fast, outstripping the Nimbus 2000 easily, and performing hairpin turns on a dime without even slowing down. The broom did, however, think on its own occasionally, as it dodged a bludger one of the Weasley twins had bunted towards him. Wood looked as if he was walking in the clouds, and as soon as they landed Time seriously thought he was going to kiss him, which put him incredibly on edge.

Time was highly averse to being touched by anyone, tolerating only Harry, and occasionally Ron and Hermione. It had become taboo around the school to touch Time, especially after what had happened the last time someone had done it in the hall (Cormac McLaggen had gotten a little too liberal with his elbows, and the teachers were still looking for the other one). This simple fact seemed to have taken an extended vacation as both Time and Harry received multiple pats and rubs. Time looked like he wanted to hex the whole lot of them to kingdom come, but didn't seem to have the heart to do so when he caught sight of their smiling faces. It ended, however, when the Weasley twins thought it would be funny to take hold of Time's ears, and the resulting hex frenzy left both with bloody noses, a missing nose, and donkey ears. Harry apologized and fixed the damage that his tempermental friend had inflicted, before hurrying after him with all haste.

* * *

"What the heck was that, Time?" Harry growled, stopping Time by putting himself directly in his path.

"What do you mean?" Time asked innocently, doing his very best to duplicate Harry's famous puppy-dog eyes.

Harry wasn't impressed. "You know exactly what I mean. What the bloody hell possessed you to pull out your wand and start hexing our teammates?" he said, staring incredulously at the blue-eyed boy, who was now shuffling his feet in embarrassment.

"They touched me," he murmured, as if it were obvious to both of them.

"So what?" Harry asked, "I touch you all the time. What makes me different from them." He glared at Time, wondering what was going through his friend's head.

"Nothing!" Time said a little too quickly, "It's just, well…"

"Just what?" Harry pressed, emerald orbs flashing in annoyance as his finger started flicking the pendant on his collar. "Time, I'm waiting!" he said when the boy didn't answer. Harry yelped as the boy suddenly lunged forward, grabbing his arm and pinning it to his side, while Time other hand pushed his chest back into a wall.

"Time, what?" Harry stopped when he saw a determined light in Time's eyes.

"Harry, listen to me. If you ever find yourself in danger, I want you to run. Don't think about me, don't think about anyone else. Just run. OK?" Time glared at Harry, who was starting to get a little worried about Time.

All Time could think about was watching those emerald eyes close and the silent question "Why?" spilling from those lips. His eyes focused on those lips. Suddenly, Time felt a strange urge, something he'd never felt before. He wanted to touch those lips. But instead of following through with it, he slowly relaxed his grip on Harry's arms, and, stepping away from him, turned and disappeared down the now open hallway, too confused with his own emotions to be bothered in explaining them to Harry. Emotions were dangerous, he told himself. Emotions led to nothing but pain and death. The cold laughter of the Snake echoed through his head, and he pushed aside those feelings. Feelings were weak. Right now, he needed his mind.

Finding a small, secluded alcove behind a tapestry, Time focused his attention inwards, calming the raging storm of emotions and pushing them all into a far corner of his mind, burying them. He would _not_ have the Snake finding them. That would mean hell on Earth for him. So he fell back on the firm, unshakable part of his mind: his logic. Slowly, he began to analyze the feelings he had just experienced.

Clearly the attachment he felt to Harry had developed into something more than just friendship. He needed to break that down. He couldn't deal with it right now, so he decided the best way to handle it would be to distance himself from Harry. It was going to be painful, but that was what was best for both of them. At least, that's what he kept telling himself as he made his way from the alcove and back to the common room.

That night, he was thankfully not visited by the Snake, and as such received a much needed good night's rest. Tomorrow was Saturday, and the bet would finally be concluded.

* * *

**Writing this has been an incredible experience for me. I sometimes find I'll be writing something, and then the story takes a completely different direction than what I intended, and it's almost as if I'm privy to a whole story actually taking place. Its incredible. Anyway, rate, review, and tell me if you like the little musings I put at the beginning of these chapters. I hope to update again soon.**- Arudon


	8. You Break It, You Die

**Sorry for the long wait, little birdie called Life decided to go and plop its feathery ass down on my dreams for this fic. I am currently sitting in the corner of a dark room with only my computer screen as light, so be happy that I'm even giving you this. I'll try to have the important chapter on christmas day, so be excited little munchkins. All right, here it is.**

* * *

Guilt.

Now this is one emotion that I am particularly unsure of. There is nowhere in the origins of animal nature where guilt is ever a prominent factor. An animal would think nothing of stealing food to survive, but yet it still exists in all humans. Perhaps that is what separates humans from the rest of the animal race.

Take a soldier who survived a war for instance. He typically feels Survivor's Guilt, and asks "Why them, why not me?"

It goes against every law of self-preservation. Shouldn't he be happy to survive? Shouldn't he be happy to continue? But that is the difference between animals and you humans. Guilt.

You truly are shameful creatures, aren't you?

* * *

The stands were packed, practically fit to burst, as seemingly the entire school was present to witness the outcome of the huge match. Last minute bets were placed on who would win, with piles of coins mounting. An even bigger pile of money was being added to the bet between Time and Draco. Needless to say, all eyes were on those particular boys when the two teams met in the middle of the field and the captains shook hands. Or rather, the Slytherin captain crushing the Gryffindor captain's hand. Mounting their brooms, both teams rose into the air, with Lee Jordan commentating on their appearance, "Draco Malfoy appears sleek with his uniquely styled broom, and I see that Harry Potter has a Nimbus 2000, everyone, keep a close eye on that. Blimey!" This last statement was elicited from a very surprised Lee as Time seemed to materialize fifty feet in the air, moving from ground level to his current altitude in less than a second, "Did you see that acceleration?! If you blinked, you missed it, folks. Looks like Draco Malfoy's going to be hard pressed to win against that thing. What is that he's flying? Is that bamboo? I think-" "The quaffle has been released, and the game has begun!" McGonagall shouted into the microphone, startling Lee.

The two teams quickly began to battle it out, and the Slytherin's, living up to their name, played very dirty. Draco Malfoy was incredibly fast on his broom, darting from one end of the stadium to the other in two seconds, earning him an applause from the sea of green occupying half the audience. A blur of red shot past him, earning onlookers a surprised gasp as they watched the quaffle get picked right out of the air and through a goal hoop. "That leads Gryffindor 130 to 20, Time having scored yet another point. I don't think I have ever seen a player quite like that folks."

The scarlet crowd cheered at this while the Slytherins booed, until their attitudes flipped as Marcus Flint, the captain of the Slytherin team, grab a beater's bat and pelt a bludger right into Oliver Wood. The Gryffindor Keeper spun out of control only to pass out on the ground. The Slytherins began a round of applause as Flint led them on high.

Down below the marauding quiditch players, two young lions were looking through binoculars at the game. Suddenly, Hermione let out a yelp and spoke quietly to Ron. "Ron, look at Harry, I think something's wrong with him." The red-head glanced over at the Gryffindor seeker, who was currently attempting to hold on to a wildly bucking broom, and muttered a curse word under his breath. Harry was higher up than the rest of the players, and Time and Draco were doing their best to show off for the crowd, drawing their attention away from the seeker who was by now in mortal peril. "It looks like its being jinxed!" Hermione whispered to Ron. Nodding, Ron scanned the crowd before coming to rest on the Potions Master, who was remaining perfectly still and staring unblinkingly at Harry. Ron could just make out Snape's mouth moving in what appeared to be an uninterrupted stream of words. "It's Snape!" Ron hissed. "He's putting some kind of spell on it!"

Nodding, Hermione grabbed the red-head and together they moved through the rafters till they were beneath the Potions Master, where they could hear him mumbling in Latin. Drawing her wand, Hermione touched the tip of it to the hem of Snape's robes, whispering, "_Incendio_." Immediately, flames appeared on the robes, traveling up and creating a lot of smoke. The chanting stopped as the surprised professor tried to stamp out the flames, creating an uproar around him. This was accompanied by a collective gasp from the crowd, as apparently something extraordinary had happened down on the pitch.

* * *

Time and Draco had finally lined up next to each other at the Slytherin goal-post, and together they waited the signal from Ernie Macmillan, who had agreed to help orchestrate the bet. At the sight of the sparks flying from his wand, the two boys shot off at a terrific speed. The crowd's noise picked up in intensity as they realized that the infamous bet between the two rivals was about to be decided.

Madam Hooch, looked up, startled at the sudden increase in the crowd's volume. She watched as the two quiditch players raced alongside each other, disbelief written across her face. She sat back on her broom as she saw the scarlet clad racer pull ahead of the other, green clad rider. All her instincts as a qui-judge were screaming at her to blow the whistle and halt the activities, but another, stronger part of her wanted to simply admire the broomwork the two were displaying. She fought with herself for a few seconds before sighing. 'They really aren't interrupting very much, so might as well watch' she thought to herself.

Time urged his broom to higher speeds, pulling ahead of Malfoy and rounding the Gryffindor goal post. He glanced back at the widening gap between him and Slytherin, a smirk visible on his face. Looking forward, he had to swerve to avoid an out-of-control Harry, who appeared to be diving towards the ground. Forgetting completely about the bet, Time pulled out of his turn and shot off after the falling/diving seeker. He was about to reach him when Harry fell off his broom, tumbling in the sand several times before coming to a rest lying on his back. Sitting up, the green-eyed boy's chest convulsed several times before expelling a glittering golden ball, which fluttered a little before furling its wings and resting in the palm of his hand. To the shock of everyone in the stands, Harry held up the snitch. The game was over.

"Harry Potter has caught the snitch! Gryffindor wins!" Lee shouted into the microphone, accompanied by the rest of the Gryffindors in the stands. Time descended to the ground and dismounted his broom before running over to the still sitting boy. Laughing, he extended his hand towards the boy, allowing Harry to use it to pull himself up before being mobbed by the rest of the team. "We did it! We did it!" chorused the Weasley twins together, while they danced around Harry. "Nice catch Scar-head," spoke an annoyingly familiar drawl from behind them. Whirling around, the quiditch team observed the Slytherin Prince dismount his broom, flanked on either side by the two beaters for Slytherin team. "Unfortunately that little stunt you pulled cost your little collared friend his life. Have fun freezing at the bottom of the lake, cuckoo clock."

Draco was absolutely euphoric. He had managed to beat his greatest rival at his own game! His father was certainly going to be pleased when he heard about this. He leaned forward to leer at Time, who was just now beginning to comprehend what the blond was going on about. Confusion, followed quickly by surprised and comprehension, flashed across the collared wizard's face, before finally he finally settled on one of incredulity. "You can't seriously be considering that you won, Malfoy? If you remember correctly, our race was interrupted by unavoidable circumstances, meaning it should at least result in a draw!" Time tried to reason out.

Smiling even wider, Draco moved forward till he was only a few feet away from the boy, a victorious gleam in his silver eyes. "If I remember correctly, cuckoo, you claimed that '_no matter what_' I came up with, your broom would still be twice as fast as mine. While it was faster, I'll concede that point, it was most certainly not _twice_ as fast, and as you dropped out of the race, you practically conceded the victory to me. Talk all you want, you're still going to be the one to take a dip in the lake. Think of it as Christmas present, if you will." And with that, the blond aristocrat spun around, heading back up to the castle, thoughts of a nice, hot shower spurring him on.

They were quite the opposite of Time's thoughts. All he could think of was how he was going to be able to swim in the cold, no, _frigid_ waters of the black lake, which even on a normal day was cold. "Slimy git! Using my own words against me! Only I'm allowed to do that." Time mumbled, truly perturbed that the blond had used his favorite tactic against him. 'Well, that's a mistake I won't be making again,' he thought to himself.

He jumped when he felt a pat on his back, but relaxed when he saw it was only Harry giving him an apologetic look. Time's countenance hardened, however, when he remembered the resolution he had made last night, and after a stiff farewell, he left the rest of the slightly perplexed team and headed towards the showers.

'How am I going to be able to survive the temperature without any magical aid?' he thought to himself as he stood under the shower spray. 'Maybe I could cover myself with oil, I remember reading that it can help retain body heat, but that still won't be enough, this is the black lake we're talking about. Hmmm.'

Time kept mulling over these thoughts as he shut off the stream and stepped out of the shower, dressing quickly and heading back up to the school. Halfway up the front steps, he glanced back to see a very familiar black haired boy hurrying up to him. Cursing softly to himself, Time practically leapt up the last few steps and slipped into the school, pelted away from the entry hall and disappeared around a corner.

"I'm sorry, Harry. This is for both of our sakes," Time mumbled to himself. His thoughts returned to his previous problem. 'Using my own words against me,' he thought again, before opening his eyes and finding, to his incredible surprise, the door to the room of requirement. Somehow, while he was wrapped up in his internal musings, his own body had carried to the one place that could offer him a solution. Breath quickening in anticipation, Time eased the door open, anxious to see what the room would provide for him now. He gasped…

Gone was the workshop that had previously occupied the room. Gone was the table that had held the four broom shafts, along with all the runes. Gone were the many, many books that had been so helpful to the young wizard.

In its place, a humongous room had been created. Time could spot what looked like a laboratory, along with a raised dais surrounded by what appeared to be strange colored knobs with runes carved on them. In a corner was a large, transparent tub, filled with a clear liquid that Time suspected wasn't water. A gymnasium had also been created, but rather than providing a fun-house, this one looked more like a hardcore training course, complete with deathtraps, blades, and all sorts of different hazards. But what truly interested Time were the huge stacks of books that towered in the back corner. Moving into the center of the room, Time did a full three-hundred and sixty degree turn, admiring the room.

"Oh, you sexy thing!" he whispered.

He quickly made his way over to the pile of the books, grabbed a few and plopped down in a conveniently placed armchair. Upon opening the first book (The Inner Soul) he realized that it was talking about controlling an animagus form. "Why would you think that this would be important?" he asked to the room at large. Setting the book down, he picked up another one, only to set that down as well, as it held similar information. Glancing at the titles, Time realized that all the books had something to do with an animagus form or partial human transfiguration. 'How would this help me survive underwater?' he thought.

'Using my own words against me.' '…with no magical heating charms…' 'a mistake I won't make again.'

Sapphires widened as it suddenly clicked in Time's mind. Jumping up, he spun around again laughing at the top of lungs. "Oh, oh, that's brilliant! That's BRILLIANT! You really are the room of requirement, aren't you. Oh look at you, you brilliant, sexy thing. And it doesn't violate the exact wording! Oh this is good. Oh, I can't wait to see Malfoy's face when I pull this on him! Yes!"

Time stopped dancing around when his eyes caught something he hadn't seen before in his first cursory glance. There, nestled in the back of the room, was a large, black piano surrounded by strange runes. Actually, it looked more like a cross between an organ and a piano, with pipes connected to the top of it and more pedals than should have been there. Walking over, Time admired the instrument.

Upon closer inspection, he found that the instrument was not pure black, as he had thought, but rather had silver runes carved all over it that gave off a dark, soothing mist, disguising the instrument. White ivory keys stood out against the black, glistening like stars in the endless infitum of space. Entranced, Time sat down and drew close to the keys. Raising his hand, he placed a long, slender finger on one of the keys. Taking a breath, he applied pressure until the instrument elicited a soft, clear note that floated through the room.

Little did Time know it, but the instrument was also magically attuned to the entire school. Every single waking person in Hogwarts had just heard that note.

Time's fingers danced up the keys, drawing out a full scale. The notes rebounded in the room quite beautifully, pulling Time's lips up into a smile. Then, the runes around the instrument began to flash, and Time's smile faded as he fell into a sort of trance. He raised his other hand, and, as if of their own accord, his fingers began to dance across the instrument.

* * *

Deep below, in the Slytherin common room, Draco Malfoy's eyes snapped open, as probably the saddest tune he had ever heard entered his ears. He sat up from his previous position on the couch and, looking around, saw that almost everyone was looking as confused as he was. The melody, however, continued to grow and swell, while a simple harmony played in the background, light and ethereal. Suddenly, Draco's thoughts were pulled to his father: of all the cold looks he had given him, all the insults that had been handed to him. "You are nothing but a disappointment to me!" he heard his father say, remembering the first time he had ever actually gotten on his broom. He remembered feeling so dejected, and heartbroken, and like yesterdays trash. That was the day he had stopped being a boy, he remembered, and became a Malfoy.

He slapped the thoughts away. It was the stupid song that was doing this! He couldn't help but listen, however, when he heard a voice was added to the music. It was not saying anything, really. It was simply following the music, though adding on more depth. Suddenly the world pitched and rolled as the music suddenly increased in tempo, becoming angrier and faster. The voice now sounded like a choir, echoing in several pitches, yet still retained only one tempo. He shuddered, as all around him his classmates were caught up in the swell of the song.

* * *

Pausing in a corridor, Harry stopped and swayed with the tempo of the music. Just like everyone else, it brought to mind painful memories, and he was reminded of all the unfairness of his life. He had never had a family, never even had a room! Not until Time came into his life. 'Well there's one good thing with my life,' he thought to himself. 'I have lots of Time.'

He chuckled at his own joke before falling back into the sway of the music.

* * *

If they were affected by the song, then Time was completely overwhelmed. Tears streamed down his face as his voice rolled out, playing out a song he didn't even know that knew. His mind was turned inwards however, towards his own mind, caught up in visions brought about by the magic of the piece.

_Fire and blood whipped around him as he crouched beside a woman, cradling her to his body. Tears leaked out of his eyes, as he whispered, "_I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry,_" over and over again, just like the sorting hat had. He looked down, and saw her blood running in rivulets away from them. Following the path with his eyes, he stopped when his gaze met a pair of boots. His gaze slowly traveled up, until they met glowing orange eyes. ~"_Your fault! Your fault! YOUR FAULT!_"~ The boy screamed at him, before lunging and sinking his fangs into Time's neck._

His fingers slipped off the keys and his voice broke as the fangs seemed to cut through the vision. Slumping down, exhausted, he did not know that he had practically given every living being in the school a near heart attack at his sudden cut off.

"Always you. I can never be rid of you. And who the hell are you?" He asked to himself, thinking about the swirling orange eyes that stared at him with such hunger and hatred, coupled with a strange edge of lust and desire. Topped off by the dancing flames of insanity. "Of all the things I can remember, and I have to choose a bloody psychopath that's obsessed with sinking his teeth into my neck. I have probably the most messed up mind I have ever seen."

Sliding off the bench, he moved back over to the books before grabbing a few and leaving the room of requirement. He did not catch the swirling shadows that brewed over by the musical instrument as he left. He did not see the orange eyes staring at him as he shut the door behind him. Those eyes stared with hunger and malice, before finally fading, the magic that had given life to the manifestation wearing off, banishing the demon back to its metaphorical plane.

* * *

That night, however, Time was again visited by him.

His first greeting upon entering his mindscape was being tackled to the ground and being bitten on the neck. ~"Hmmm, I've been waiting for you all day"~ whispered the Snake to the Dragon. ~"I got to play with your mind earlier, but that didn't last nearly as long as I wanted! Why did you stop playing, I was just starting to have fun?"~ He licked the cut he inflicted on the boy, relishing in the helplessness below him. That is, until he felt a pair of hands wrap around his neck and proceed to tighten, strangling him. He gasped for air as their positions were flipped, Time rolling until he was on top of the Snake, holding him down and applying more pressure, now with his full weight. ~"But, the mental…lock! How…did…you..?"~

Time smirked down at his tormentor, fire dancing in his glowing blue eyes, reflecting nothing but absolute hatred. "How am I able to move? Well, it was a little trick I picked up before going to bed. It's called occlumency." Getting up, Time dragged the Snake into the air by his neck and hurled him across the landscape. The Snake rolled like a barrel after hitting the ground before springing back up, a new fiery light dancing in his orange vortexes. Looking at Time again, fear and confusion added themselves to the startling gaze, flitting across his features before the Snake asked, ~"But how could you have broken it? It doesn't make any sense!"~

Time actually cracked a smile at the incredulous tone of his tormentor. "It was simple, actually. You said that this is still my mind, and that you have it in a lock. Well, the thing about locks, Snake, is that they have keys. And, since this is my mind, I have the master key!" Time shot forward, landing a perfectly placed punch right in between the dancing vortexes. "You're in my world now, Snake. So buckle up, cause it's out to get you." Time slammed another fist into the Snake's jaw, using so much force that it actually pushed the boy back a bit.

The orange-eyed boy looked up, meeting seething blue sapphires. Cocking his head to the side, his face split into a grin, while his swirling eyes picked up in intensity, swirling even faster. ~"So…the Dragon's finally learned how to bite, has he? About time."~ Flicking his wrist, a glowing blue dagger appeared in his right hand. Raising his left above his head, the Snake let out a grunt as a flash of fire appeared in his palm, before lengthening and solidifying into a sword, dripping with the blood of an innocent child. ~"I would hate for our little chats to start getting boring. By the way, Dragon, my name isn't 'Snake.' Though you are close. Call me Serpent, if you have to call me anything. It's what you used to call me."~

Serpent swung his left arm outward, before snapping it back in, angling it towards Time's clavicle. Time danced out of the way, spinning so as to avoid the second arc that the dagger took. "You're too slow." Time mocked, as he snapped out his arm. He felt the satisfying crunch of his fist against the face of his opponent, before screaming as he felt a shock go up and down his arm. Serpent had somehow impaled the dagger through his elbow, locking the joint in place. Gasping, Time felt the familiar feeling of cold steel sliding in between his ribs. Looking down, he saw the handle of the sword sticking out from the center of his chest, yet still he did not feel his heart stopping. Falling backwards, he collapsed in the sand-like substance the dream-world seemed to be entirely composed of.

~"Sorry sweetie, but without your memories, you've got no idea how to fight me. You're a bit out of your league, mate. Still, that was a bit impressive."~ Serpent walked around the fallen boy, admiring him. He stooped to the ground, and with a long, delicate finger, began to draw little patterns in the sand with Time's blood. ~"Her name was Eagle, you know. That women you were holding. Would you like to know what happened to her?"~ He smiled as he saw Time's eyes widen. ~"She trusted you with her life. And guess what you did? You betrayed and murdered her. Granted, you didn't kill her directly, but it was your actions that led to her death. Your fault. Yours."~ Serpent smiled and stood up, eyes never leaving Time's pale form, before turning and walking off into the darkness. His voice came out of the darkness, as he imparted a few last words. "I wouldn't try breaking the wall down, by the way. Because if you do that, then you die. Just a little something to stew on."

And with that, he was gone. Time groaned as he sat up, staring at the rapidly encroaching darkness, before he smiled and allowed it to swallow his bleeding form.

* * *

**Allright, there you go. Its not as long as others that I've done, but hopefully it should satisfy you for now. As always, Rate and REVIEW! Ta-ta for now!- **Arudon


	9. Explanations

**Here's the next big chunk. Special thanks to David305, who brought up some excellent points that I didn't even realize I had left uncovered. I hope this chapter helps to clear some of it up. Now one thing i have got to say that I noticed you got wrong David, was that I never said that Ernie Macmallin was on the field. No, no, no, no, no! That would be just stupid! He's in the stands, people, THE STANDS! **

**Also, you ask in the review why they didn't halt the game for both the replacement of Wood and the race itself. I have added an address to the race in the previous chapter, which I hope will clear that up, but if you recall in the books they say that if a player is injured on the field no substitutions will be allowed. The game will just have to continue without that player's position. That is one of the base rules of quiditch. **

**But other than that your review was perfectly placed and not too harsh, as it revealed several holes in my plot that I will try to sew up. All people, please use David's review as a template, as it was both critical and supportive. **

**Just a thought, everyone, do you think this genre should be changed to Horror/Drama? I had thought that I was doing a good job balancing out the scenes with humor, but apparently it was still too dark. Let me know in a review. Thanks for reading**

* * *

Deduction

Now there's a word that sets the blood pumping. The ability to use your mind to reason out a seemingly unsolvable problem. It is what got me addicted to Sherlock Holmes, in all his time frames, zipping about and making comments on other people's empty heads. But each and every person is perfectly capable of using their brain, they just don't know how most of the time. The thought process may seem complex to those of you who do not understand it.

But if you take the time to realize its full import, you will find that your mind can be flung right off its hinges and into the realm of genius faster that you can say "Elementary!" Just like a certain bright young lad we are soon to hear more about. Gather round!

* * *

Professor Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore was not a happy man. The previous day had probably been the worst day he had had all term. First, he had seen two students interrupt a quiditch match with a race. Then the _race_ had been interrupted by another out of control quidditch player, who also happened to be Harry Potter. Then the dear boy almost choked to death on the snitch after falling off of his broom.

And then there had been the song. After the whole fiasco of the quidditch match, Albus had headed back up to his office to relax with some mint tea and his treasured lemon drops. Upon reaching his desk, he had collapsed in his wing-backed chair and closed his eyes. He didn't remember when exactly he had fallen asleep like that, but he did know that he had been awakened by a single piano note.

_Flashback:_

_Sitting up in his chair, Dumbledore looked around, trying to discern where the note had come from. He froze when he heard an entire scale, followed by a light chuckle. 'Where is that coming from?' the headmaster thought, as he peered around his office at the many portraits hanging from the walls. They looked just as confused as he was, and one appeared to be about to speak when the song began._

_Albus fell back in his chair as the music began to take effect. It was a soft, lilting tune that had an underlying deep harmony, which, when placed together, created a maelstrom of emotional energy. Dumbledore's mind was thrown back into the memories of his childhood._

_He saw the muggle boys beating his sister, Arianna. He remembered rushing over to help, only to see his sister explode with magical energy. He remembered cradling her as she lay shivering on the ground._

_He remembered burying his sister._

_Albus winced as he recalled how Aberforth had struck him in the face, crying, 'It's your fault, Albus!' Oh, Aberforth. How the years have treated him! Albus hadn't talked with his younger brother in years, let alone seen him._

_Albus was snapped back into the memories as a voice was added to the music. It was soft, yet loud. Beautiful. 'A phoenix song,' part of his mind informed him, before going quiet and falling deeper into the recollections._

_Albus remembered his summer with Grindelwald, and all their plans to unite the wizarding world. 'For the Greater Good!' had been their rallying cry. He remembered the darkness that had crept into his friend's heart. He remembered defeating his friend on the field of battle._

_The headmaster remembered every student he had ever taught. He recalled how he had read about their deaths in the papers during the rise of Voldemort. Oh, Tom…._

_There was a tragedy of its own. Such anger in such a small boy. Who would have guessed that that bright, intelligent youth would grow up to murder so many, cause so much destruction?_

_Albus was ripped out of the memories as the music abruptly cut off and a gasp was elicited from the singer. As the air stilled, Albus realized that he was gripping the arms of his seat with so much force that his knuckles had turned white and the frame was shaking. Slowly, his entire body relaxed. Phantom tremors ran up and down his body, and for the first time in almost twenty years, Albus Dumbledore began to cry._

_End Flashback_

Albus looked up as he heard a knock on his door. "Enter," he called.

The ancient wood of the door creaked as it opened slowly, revealing a particularly ragged potions master. "Ah, Severus," the headmaster called, "what can I do for you." Albus propped himself up in his seat and looked expectantly towards the Head of Slytherin.

Snape looked down the bridge of his long, crooked nose before answering softly, "You can start by explaining two things. One, why was Harry Potter's broom jinxed to try to kill him?" Snape slammed his hands on the desk and turned his coal black eyes onto the sky blue ones of the headmaster. "And two, _what was that song_?" Snape asked the last question with a slight hiss, while his body trembled slightly.

Dumbledore looked the normally collected man up and down with a critical eye. His robes were not in their usual pristine order, and there were slight wrinkles all down the sides. His hair was in disarray, contrary to its normal greasiness, and there appeared to be red rings around his eyes. 'He's been crying!' Dumbledore thought in astonishment. What could be so unsettling that it would move the most unshakable man Albus knew to tears?

Albus didn't know, but he could take a guess. "To answer your first question, Severus, I do not know all the details of the attack on Harry yesterday, but I assure you that I am investigating the incident very thoroughly." Dumbledore paused, wondering how he was going to broach the next subject. "As for the song, I believe it was designed to appeal to our greatest sorrows and disappointments. I do not know if this is for certain, for I am merely judging things based on my own reactions. Would you care to share your experience with me, Severus?" The headmaster looked at the professor, worried that he might have gone too far.

Snape, however, simply nodded and sat down in the chair across from Dumbledore. He looked down at his hands, which were interlocked and spinning idly. "I was in my office, grading third year essays," Snape began slowly, clearly not enjoying the recounting. "Then I heard a single piano note. I thought it was odd, as there wasn't a piano anywhere in the dungeons." Snape shook his head, redirecting his thoughts away from their erroneous course. "The note was followed by a full scale and a light chuckle. The player was obviously male, I could tell by the tone." Again Snape paused, collecting himself. "Then the song began, and I saw…" Here Snape stumbled, obviously hard pressed to get anything out around the knot in his throat. "What did you see, Severus?" the headmaster asked gently, truly taken aback at the emotional display coming from the man in front of him. Snape kept his head down, but a single drop of liquid fell from his face and onto his lap. "Lily…"

Albus nodded in understanding. An image came to mind of Severus standing on a hilltop, tears streaming from his eyes, begging for Albus to protect Lily Potter. "I understand, Severus. Thank you." The headmaster stood up and moved to stand at the window, looking down as the sun streamed over the black lake, creating dancing reflections and images. "You have confirmed a suspicion of mine."

Snape looked up at this. "What suspicion is that, Headmaster?" he asked.

Albus turned away from the window and sat back down in his chair. "The song, I believe, was what is commonly known as a 'Soul-searcher.' It typically can only come from a person who has experienced terrible loss, loss unknown to either you or me. It is the physical expression of the sorrow ravaging their soul, and playing the song can often lead to a certain sense of clairvoyance for the soul in question. As it was, the song was played through an instrument, which was somehow tuned in to the school, or at least parts of it from what I have gathered. What is most disturbing is that while I do not recognize the voice of the singer, I do recognize the language. And it has led to an impossibility." The headmaster propped his head in his hands, looking truly stumped.

Snape sighed, exasperated by the old wizard's thought process. The man was a genius, but he was often prone to assuming everyone around him could hear his thoughts just as easily if he were speaking out loud. "Albus, what impossibility?" Snape asked.

Albus looked up at the man before responding. "Severus, the language was that of a phoenix. The most pure and magical of all languages existing on this earth. Only those who have the blood of a phoenix running through their veins can speak it. Even I, with Fawkes as my familiar, am only able to understand the phoenix tongue. There has not been a single wizard with phoenix blood in over two thousand years. The last recorded case of this was when Merlin convened with the phoenix of Artesia to protect Camelot from an attack. To hear it now is a momentous occasion. For when Merlin left, he imparted that there were to be no more speakers of the phoenix, as their appearance usually heralds momentous change and destruction." Dumbledore looked up at Severus, waiting for the man to fully comprehend what he was saying.

Finally, the Potions Master nodded. "I see. Do you have any ideas who it could be?" Snape asked the headmaster.

Albus looked at Snape with a twinkle in his eye. "Severus, my friend, I have absolutely no clue."

* * *

Harry looked up at the window of the first year dormitory from his seat against a tree out in the grounds. It was strange…here he was enjoying a perfectly good Sunday with Ron and Hermione, but Time still had yet to emerge from his bed. Perhaps he was attempting to smother himself from the embarrassment at losing the bet to Malfoy. That git had been acting insufferably smug all morning, and had asked Harry (demanded, actually, quite rudely I might add) at least five times where Time was.

Hermione caught Harry stealing another glance and smacked him in the chest.

"Ow, Hermione! What was that for?" Harry asked as he stared incredulously at the frizzy haired witch.

Hermione rolled her eyes at the green-eyed wizard's ignorance. "You're worrying about him again. Stop thinking about him! He'll come down when he wants to, and not a moment earlier. You're not his mother!" Hermione scolded the collared wizard.

Harry sighed and sat back against the tree again. He looked up into the leafy boughs, green eyes following a slowly descending leaf. The leaves had completed their morph from green to brown, and were now in the process of vacating their arboreal nests and seeking new perches on the grass. He opened and closed his mouth repeatedly before finally replying. "I know, Hermione. I know. I might as well be his mother, though, based on how little care he devotes to himself. I guess I really am the closest thing to family he's got. Plus, there are so many things I need to talk with him about! Like how he's going to survive the lake; and why Snape was trying to jinx my broom; and so many other things. But he's become so distant Hermione! He was acting weird on Friday, and after the quiditch match he just disappeared! I don't get it, what's up with him?"

Hermione looked at Harry oddly for a moment. "Harry, what do you mean you're the closest thing Time has to a family?" Hermione asked the scruffy-haired boy.

Harry looked down, embarrassed, when his head popped up at the sound of a familiar drawl. "Yes, Scar-head. Please elaborate on that statement! Are you saying that you and cuckoo are more than just friends?"

The Boy-Who-Lived looked up to glare at the group of Slytherins that were rapidly approaching, particularly the one leading them. Draco Malfoy.

* * *

Draco had been walking on air the entire day. He had received a letter of congratulations from his father at breakfast that morning (_Congratulations!?He was proud!_) which stated that he had lived up to the noble name of Malfoy.

Then, to make things even better, Time hadn't shown his (admittedly not that ugly) face all morning. This had been both a good and bad thing for the Slytherin Prince. On one hand, it had given him free rein to boast and brag about his victory without any interruptions all day. However, this had led to the depressing fact that apart from a few Gryffindors, there was no one really worth humiliating. Draco had also gotten into an argument with Blaise at the breakfast table.

_Flashback:_

_Draco walked into the Great Hall with his head held high and his chest puffed out. He was met with rapturous applause from the Slytherin table and sullen glowers from the lions. Glancing over to the scarlet clad students, Draco scanned the lot for the telltale blue eyes and trademark collar. Instead, he had found only hate filled glances and grumbles. Rolling his silver eyes, Draco sauntered over to his table, accompanied on both sides by his bodyguards, before sitting down across from Blaise Zabini and Pansy Parkinson. _

_He was immediately showered by congratulations on his victory and praise for his performance. Several were rather put out by the fact that Draco had practically abandoned his job and allowed Potter to catch the snitch, but for the most part the Snakes were content with the moral victory they had won._

_Eventually the conversation moved on to other topics, leaving Draco to sit back and enjoy his breakfast. "Well done Draco!" came the light, girlish voice of Pansy Parkinson from across the table. The blond had her biggest winning smile on her face as she leered at the blond prince. Draco smiled a little apprehensively at the drooling witch before turning to the person on her left and directly in front of him. "Well, what did you think of my performance, Blaise?" the blonde asked cheerily._

_"That was too close, Draco," came the icy response from the African-Italian boy._

_Draco was taken aback at the iciness displayed by his friend. "Blaise? What's your deal?" the Malfoy heir asked the boy._

_Blaise turned his fiery brown eyes to meet the flashing silver of his friend. "You won by a technicality, Draco, and you know it. You're lucky the judges decided to rule in your favor based on the exact wording of the contract. If not for Potter's timely interruption you _would _have lost. That broom was half a field ahead of you by the time it was intercepted. Had things gone differently, it would have been _you_ who was to take a plunge in the lake." _

_Draco stared at his friend, shocked that he would be met by such criticism. Then again, if not for the judge's decision (in preparation for the bet, each of the four houses had issued one prefect that was to act as an unbiased ruler on the competition) Time might have gotten the upper hand. Draco shook his head at this, no, he had it under control the whole time. "And, as usual, I see you have your wand up your ass. Lighten up, Blaise; we both know I would have won either way. That piece of junk he was riding was about to fall apart." Draco smirked at him, meeting the brown eyes with his own quicksilver._

_Blaise closed his eyes and shook his head. "Draco, you won by dumb luck. I told you not to take him lightly, and you did. And even though you managed to acquire a broom that should have been the key to your victory, that so called 'piece of junk' that Time managed to build not only flew faster than both your broom and the Nimbus 2000, but outstripped everyone in terms of speed, balance, acceleration, deceleration, and a myriad of other traits. And it wasn't 'about to fall apart' either! Why do you have to be so-"_

_Blaise was cut off by an Eagle-owl landing in front of Draco, holding a white envelope with the Malfoy crest emblazed upon it. "It's Father!" Draco spoke excitedly. Opening it, Draco's eyes lit up as he read the older Malfoy's looping print. "He approves! He's congratulating me!" The blond shot a smile at Blaise, a real, honest to goodness smile, and the boy didn't have the heart to patronize him any further. Leaning forward, Blaise snagged another omelet from the center of the table. It was going to be a long day._

_End Flashback_

* * *

Draco strode over to where the Boy-Who-Lived sat on the ground a confident smirk plastered across his face.'This should be fun' Draco thought to himself. "Are you saying that you and cuckoo are more than just friends? Is there some background history to this that we were hitherto unaware of. GATHER ROUND, EVERYBODY! SCAR-HEADS GOT A STORY TO TELL US!" Draco called out to the grounds, drawing a huge number of people over. Turning back to the wide-eyed Gryffindor, Draco smirked and asked, "So, please tell us about the personal history between you and a certain cuckoo clock. Please leave out any M rated material, I don't want to hear a vomit-inducing love story about how he fell from the sky and straight into your arms."

"Well, I would say it was more on the lines of 'fell from the sky and created a massive crater, only to be discovered by a certain green-eyed boy.'" Time's melodic voice echoed across the grounds, drawing everyone's eyes away from the Slytherin Prince and the Boy-Who-Lived. Time certainly looked ragged today, his hair even more ruffled than usual. Instead of its normal, 'rolled out of the bed this way' look, it instead had a more, 'just been electrocuted' feel to it. He was wearing a white t-shirt, with a long flowing cloak that went down to his knees, also white.

Time strode right through the circle, the crowd parting to make way for the boy, before he stopped about a foot away from the blond and crossed his arms over his chest. "Never thought you would be so interested in my personal history, Maggot. What's changed? You coming on to me? Because if so I'm afraid your death sentence will have to be accelerated." There was a familiar rustle of quills and parchment as the crowd got ready to take notes on the insults traded by the two.

"Well, well, speak of the Devil and he magically appears. Or in this case, speak of a very confused bird and he'll wander over like an obedient puppy. No wonder you were sorted into Gryffindor, you're a bloody attention hog. Just like the rest of the lions." Draco's smirk widened as he heard the scratching of quills. 'OK, time to give them something to really write down.' "And where were you this morning, cuckoo? Off trying to drown yourself in the showers? Or maybe drowning in your own tears? Did the wittle Timey Wimey go crying to mummy because a big bad snake beat your sorry ass?" Draco leaned back, his smirk widening with every word. "Where is your mum, anyway? In all our time here at school I haven't seen you receive a single letter. The most work I've seen that fat owl of yours do was fetching _my_ mail. Has your family disowned you? They most likely did, based on what I've seen of you. Or…"

Here Draco got a gleam in his eye as he glanced back at Harry. "Is there something far more interesting going on between you and Potter over there?" Draco began to circle his victim, taking great pleasure in how the direction of the conversation seemed to be making the boy more and more uncomfortable. "I heard Scar-head saying that he was the closest thing to family you had. Would you care to elaborate on this, cuckoo?" Draco's silver eyes flashed with an internal fire, and the rest of the crowd leaned forward in anticipation.

Time sighed and shook his head. "No, I'd rather not. I'm actually pretty tired, Malfoy, and would appreciate it if you didn't invade my personal space as you are currently doing. I'd hate to have to wash these clothes again, they're my favorite set." Malfoy backed up a little at this, becoming aware for the first time just how close he had gotten to the other boy. "Also, I don't see how this is any of your business, Malfoy. My parents don't write because I don't know them. I see Harry as the closest thing to family because he's the only one who's ever treated me as such. That's the only answer you're getting, so piss off." And with that, Time strode around the blond aristocrat and sat down next to Harry with a huff. The crowd watched the two for a moment, before they realized nothing more was going to be said and dispersed, whispering about what they had just learned of Time's past.

Draco snorted before turning around with a swish of his robes. "Enjoy the black lake, cuckoo."

In all honesty Draco was fuming. He had been hoping to get a lot more of a reaction out of the collared wizard than he had, and it irritated him that Time had appeared almost completely unaffected by his taunts. The boy was an enigma, always so mysterious. And whenever anyone tried to inquire about his back-story they ended up more confused than before. Even Draco's stab at Time's family had raised more questions than answers.

What did he mean, he didn't know his own family? Any family that would throw out a child with the magical potential that Time possessed would be branded beyond insane. Because of the severe decline in birthrates the wizarding world was experiencing, children were considered to be the most precious gifts of all. The concept of child abuse was almost foreign to the magical community, and the punishments for those who broke this taboo were so severe that the perpetrator would be lucky if they didn't receive a dementor's kiss right there in the courtroom.

It left the blond very confused. But he shoved all of that to the back of his mind. 'Who cares about his past? All I care about is seeing him humiliated as much as physically possible. Let's see how smug he is after he takes a dip in the black lake, hmm?' Draco smiled at his own thoughts as he meandered back up to the castle.

* * *

Time sighed as he closed his eyes, relaxing against the sides of his friends. He had only recently woken up, his fight with Serpent seemed to put him in a sort of coma. When he had awoken, his entire body had been sore and he had a raging headache. He had considered going to Madam Pomfrey, but had in the end decided to just ignore it.

His argument with Draco had been tiring, and he hadn't really tried that hard to defend himself. He hoped he hadn't said too much and given away his secrets. He did _not_ want the sympathy of the entire school on him. Ron, however, was giving him a funny look from his seat against an opposing tree. "Time?" he asked, "What did you mean by you not knowing your family." Ron was just as unfamiliar with the idea of abandoning a magical child as Draco was, and similar thoughts were running through his head.

Time sighed and turned to the boy next to him. "Harry, would you mind explaining to Ron my arrival. Truthfully, I can't remember much of it." Harry nodded, and quickly related to Ron the events that occurred the night before he received his first letter from Hogwarts.

When he had finished, both Ron and Hermione were staring at Time with their jaws on the ground. The boy in question shifted self-conciously, a little embarrassed at once again being the center of attention. Hermione was the first one to speak up: "So you're saying that you just fell from the sky?" she asked disbelievingly. "Yeah," Time said. "Trust me; it hurt a lot more than you would think."

Time clapped his hands, bringing the two back to reality, and spoke in a firm voice, "Enough about me. Harry, why the hell was your broom acting the way it was? It was fine during all our practices."

"Yeah 'arry, I been meanin te' talk to ye' about tha'," came a familiar gruff voice from behind them. The two collared boys whipped around, before breaking into identical grins. "Hagrid!" Harry called out, overjoyed to see the huge man. Hagrid let out an "OOF," as he suddenly had an armful of first year Gryffindor. Releasing the half-giant, Harry backed off from the man while Ron and Hermione joined him. Time remained a short distance away, leaning against the tree. "Hagrid, how have you been? We haven't seen you in a long time!" Harry chirped.

Hagrid grinned at the boy, always amused by the exuberance he showed, before responding. "Oh, I've jus' been doin' this an' tha'. Keepin' meself busy. But wha' happened ta ye', 'arry. Ye' nearly choked on the snitch." Harry scratched the back of his head nervously, not sure how Hagrid would react to their findings.

"We think it was Professor Snape sir. He was mumbling in latin and maintaining eye contact with my broom the whole time it was acting up. It wasn't until after Hermione set fire to his robes that my broom started acting normal again. We also think that he was trying to get past the three-headed dog, as he was limping the night the troll was set loose. We think he's after whatever the dog is guarding."

Hagrid looked shocked at this. "What? You think Perfesser Snape was tryin' te get past Fluffy? Tha's absurd, 'arry. Dumbledore trusts Snape. He would have no reason to steal…well, erm, I mean..."

Hagrid was saved by Hermione's incredulous question of, "That thing has a name?"

Hagrid looked at her as if she'd grown a second head. "Well o' 'course he's got a name, he's mine. Dumbledore put 'im there to guard the…well, erm…now ye' shouldn't be stickin' ye're nose in bus'ness like this. What that dog is guardin' is between the headmaster and Nicholas Flamel."

Time perked up at that. "Nicholas Flamel?"

Hagrid's face could have won a prize for best impression of a deer in the headlights look. "I shouldn' a said tha'. I should not a' said tha'." He kept mumbling this as he walked away from the group, forgetting completely about their discussion of Snape.

Time's head was swimming. 'Flamel, Flamel, where have I heard that before?' he thought to himself. Suddenly an image of Harry holding a book in Diagon Alley while Time recited from memory flashed through his mind. 'Flamel.'

Another image flashed to mind, a picture of Hagrid scooping a grubby small package. 'Dumbledore'll be wantin' this back' Time heard the half-giant say.

Suddenly, it all clicked. "The Philosopher's Stone? You've got to be kidding me. It's guarding the PHILOSPHER'S STONE!" Time roared, drawing the attention of his three friends. "Time, what?" Harry started to ask, only to be interrupted by the other boy. "Harry, don't you remember in Diagon Alley? The philosopher's stone, created by Nicholas Flamel. More commonly known as the Sorcerer's stone. Able to turn any metal into gold and emits the Elixir of Life. Small, easy to conceal, and probably the most potent magical artifact of this era. It all fits!"

"So that would explain why Snape wants it so badly. He could make some of the strongest potions ever created by utilizing the stone's power!" Ron chimed in.

"But how could Dumbledore let this happen?" Harry asked out loud. "I mean, it would seem pretty obvious if someone was trying to steal the most highly guarded wizarding artifact right out from under the Headmaster's nose."

"Because it's not Snape who's trying to steal it, Harry. You heard Hagrid, Dumbledore trusts him." Hermione's trust in authority figures was shining through, and she could not even begin to believe that Snape would do something as devious as what he was being accused of.

Time shook his head before he issued his last word. "Regardless, he's our prime suspect. So for now, watch him." And with that, he spun around and headed back up to the school. He needed access to the restricted section, NOW. And he would be damned if he let some stuck up librarian stop him.

* * *

Well, apparently he was twice damned, as he not only had failed to access the restricted section, but had been banned from the library for the rest of the term in punishment for his attempted break in. He was in a very nasty mood for the rest of the day, mind working overtime to try to come up with a way to get that knowledge. Looking up from his feet, Time realized that he was, yet again, in front of the room of requirement. "When in doubt, trust yourself," he said to himself as he pushed the door open. He strode over to the book section, ignoring the instrument that rested innocently against the far wall. Snatching a few books pertaining to the philosopher's stone, Time headed back to the armchair and sat down to read. After flipping through the first few pages of several of the books, Time just gave up. Sure, they were all books _about_ the stone; but they weren't going to be any help in learning the stone's location. Time walked back over to the book shelves and grabbed a few more, this time on animagus training. 'I'm not looking to fully transform, just enough to change my interior,' he thought to himself. After flipping through the basic beginner's guide, Time sat down in the middle of the room and crossed his feet under him, assuming the classic meditation stance.

He reached down, deep within himself, and grasped ahold of his magic. He could feel it: raw, explosive power; like a nuclear explosion had been frozen mid blast. 'Well, here goes!'

And with that thought he yanked on his core, pulling the magic toward the surface. He willed his core to change him. 'Make my internal organs shift, make my skin harder, seal off my pores and lock down any possible source of heat escaping,' he thought to himself. It was a lot harder than he thought it would be, as his magic was volatile and almost angry and being forced to work in such a way. It seemed to be of two worlds: it was either lying completely still, frozen, suspended in time; or it was going full throttle, whipping around like a maelstrom. Trying to slow it down was like trying to put brakes on a rocket ship: it was nigh on impossible. But Time was nothing if not tenacious.

His face twitched as he felt his insides do a little flip-flop, and a tingling as the pores began to seal all along his arms. There was an itching on his back, right on his shoulder blades. Time recognized it as his magic trying to break through to the exterior, and quickly diverted it. He felt a similar feeling in his foot, and redirected his attention there. It was rapidly exhausting his mental faculties trying to keep a hold on this! It just wanted to rip out of his body, wanted to be free! Controlling it was beginning to tax his ability to think clearly. 'This isn't working. Abort, abort!'

Alarm bells rang all across his head as his magic made a colossal heave towards the surface, as if it were aware that he was about to lock it down. Struggling with it, Time eventually managed to push it into a corner before kicking it back into its original place in his mind. Slowly relaxing, Time opened his eyes and released an enormous breath. 'That was exhausting! You'll have to be more careful next time. If even a scrap of energy had broken free it could have destroyed you!' Time nodded to himself and sat up. He realized that, despite being exhausted, he wasn't drenched in nearly as much sweat as he thought he would have been. The rational part of his brain supplied with the obvious answer: 'Duh, you sealed off your pores to prevent heat loss. That's where sweat comes from, idiot.'

"Oh, right." Time said out loud. He sighed as he felt the pores reopen all along his body, releasing the pent up fluids. "I'll have to work on this."

And with that he promptly passed out on the floor, not even bothering to pull himself over to the armchair. Outside, the temperature dropped sharply, and the school began to grow colder and colder. Snow began to fall, and soon the ground was covered in it. Old man Winter had finally arrived in Scotland.

* * *

**Well, there you go. I'll probably have the next one up in a few hours so stay tuned. I'm almost done with first year. Yaayaayyaayay!**

**Rate and Review!REEEEEEVVVIIIEEIIEEWWW! NO, I don't want to get in the van! No, you can't make me! I'm not crazy! I'm not crazy!**

**JK. Happy late Christmas, I hope all of you had a good one. bye now- **Arudon


	10. Happy Christmas

**Here's the next huge chunk. Told you it would be up quick! Next chapter will be the last one for first year!**

* * *

Gratitude

There is a human emotion that is not always expressed, and that is gratitude. A simple "Thank you" can go a very long way with people, especially those who are insecure enough to need these kinds of boosts.

Everyone shows their thanks in a different way. For some it is a mere exchange of words. For others, a hug. Some kiss, some cry, and some even respond with gifts.

Acts of goodwill should be repaid with goodwill in my opinion. Give a little to get a little. Equivalent exchange. Or perhaps you can give more than you get, and then make the other person's life even better than your own.

I wouldn't know. I don't have much to be thankful for anyway. Their all dead after all. All of them...

* * *

Weeks passed, and the Hogwarts' students became more and more excited as the winter holiday rapidly approached. For four wizards, it was particularly busy. Time was still practicing his magical transformation, while Ron, Hermione, and Harry tried to access the library to see if they could find any more evidence on the stone; despite Time's urging that it was useless. Hermione seemed to be on a warpath, with the restricted section as the besieged castle. The problem was that first years, even with a teacher's permission, were not allowed to enter the restricted section. The professors had deemed that knowledge too dangerous for any inexperienced wizards. No matter how gifted a student they might be (see treatment of Time for further reference.)

Christmas trees appeared all over the castle grounds, bedecked in sparkling tinsel and bright red ornaments. The castle had almost redone itself in the season of Christmas: the Great Hall ceiling was almost continuously snowing, and mistletoe topped many of the arches. The ghosts floated around the school singing Christmas carols, which reminded Time way too much of a Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens (are you the ghost of Christmas Past?)

For a certain blond Slytherin, things were looking up. He had already explained to his Father why he was not coming home, as he really needed to see to it that Time had his smug self thoroughly humiliated. Luscius was all to understanding of this, and sent his son a letter of encouragement. All the other students were just as eager to see the event as well, and many more than had been expected had signed up to stay behind during the winter break.

Time had finally managed to pull off his little transformation trick, and had tested it out in the huge vat of freezing cold water in the room of requirement. He had stayed in for a full hour and not felt so much as a tingle! He still had to have time to prepare, and it typically took one to five minutes, but never more than seven. He didn't know if it would be enough to survive the black lake, but he prayed to god that it would.

Also during this time, Time became obsessed with the legend of Father Christmas. A wizard that had enough magical power to deliver presents to the entire world in a single night? Reindeer that could fly? It sounded far too good to be true, but Time was eager to catch the fat man in action.

* * *

Christmas Eve rolled around, and Time intended on staying up all night; much to Harry's dismay. Gryffindors stopped and stared as they watched the Boy-Who -Lived try to dispel the illusions that held the other collared wizard in such a tight spell.

Harry flicked the pendant of his collar, becoming increasingly annoyed at the wizard who was sitting cross-legged on the couch facing the fireplace. "Time, come on! You do know Santa isn't real, right? It's just a made up story to make sure children behave around their relatives at Christmas." Harry told the boy, who was resolutely ignoring him.

Time glanced up at Harry, becoming annoyed at the boy's obvious lack of faith. "Well, don't blame me when all you get in your stocking is coal." Time said.

Rolling his eyes, Harry tried one more time. "Look, you'll only get yourself in trouble if you insist on staying up like this! Plus, you'll only make it that much harder to survive the black lake tomorrow." Harry said exasperatedly.

Time shook his head, saying, "I'll be fine." Harry gave him one more glare before stomping away. "Fine, knock yourself out. Or don't, if that's your goal. But don't say I didn't warn you when you're disappointed." Time listened as he heard Harry make his way up the stairs. Eventually the common room cleared of all people, save Time, who never moved from his position before the fireplace.

Hours passed, and not a sound was heard in the scarlet colored room. Time sat staring, not fully awake but certainly not fully asleep, but instead somewhere in between. He snapped wide awake when he heard an enormous "CRACK!" behind him. Instinctively, Time knew that it was exactly midnight, to the millisecond. Turning around slowly, he caught sight of one of the strangest things he had ever seen.

It appeared to be a small wrinkled creature, with huge, pointy ears and bulging eyes. It was wearing what looked like a pillow case, and had a single patch of white hair on the top of its head. But that wasn't what had Time so interested. No, the elf was putting brightly wrapped packages under the Christmas Tree. 'One of Father Christmas's helpers!' Time thought to himself. Suddenly, the elf caught a whiff of Time, and he whipped around, meeting electric blue eyes of a very excited first year. "Student out of bed!" it squeaked loudly, before snapping its fingers.

Immediately Time began to feel light headed, and he toppled backwards only to feel multiple pairs of tiny hands catch him. Suddenly, he was on his bed, and, closing his eyes, he drifted off to sleep.

* * *

Cracking his eyes open, Time sat up in his bed, awakened by Ron's bellows of "Time, Harry, come quick, you have to see this!"

Sitting up, Time looked over to see the other boy (Harry) staring at him with a funny look on his face. "So you eventually gave up and came back to bed I see." Harry said, his face threatening to split into a grin.

Time lifted his nose imperiously. "On the contrary, my friend. I witnessed living proof that Father Christmas does too exist, in the form of one of his Christmas elves. Apparently, it put me to sleep and popped me up to my bed." Time ended his explanation with a smile.

Harry nodded slowly. "Suuuure, Time. Whatever you say."

Time was about to make a witty retort when he was interrupted by another bellow from downstairs. "Time, Harry? Come on, you have _got_ to see this!"

Swinging off the sides of their beds, Time and Harry made their way to the common room. Ron was standing in the middle of the common room, wearing a large, maroon sweater with a big "R" sewn in yellow on the front. "Happy Christmas, guys!" he said cheerily. "Happy Christmas, Ron." The two collared wizards said together, drawing a blank faced look from the red-head. Ron opened and closed his mouth before asking, "Are you sure you're not related?"Time and Harry exchanged glances before both shrugged. "So what is it you wanted us to see, Ron?" Harry asked.

Delighted in the change of subject, Ron pulled the two over to the tree. "You guys got a lot of presents," he said cheerily. "Especially you Time. Well, actually they're more letters than gifts. Harry got more of those." Harry's eyes widened. "I've got presents?"

This was to be the first time in his life that Harry actually received presents at Christmas Time. He had never, not once, received even so much as a sock from the Dursleys, who didn't thing that Harry was worth wasting money on. Tears filled his eyes as he beheld several boxes marked, "Harry." Turning, he threw himself into Time, hugging him tightly. Time immediately wrapped his arms around him, understanding perfectly the feelings going through Harry's head. The boy had received very harsh treatment from his "family" and it was no surprise that he should react so strangely to something as simple as presents. Ron, not understanding the situation at all, asked tentatively, "Did I do something wrong?" only to then be enveloped in a huge hug by Harry.

"No, no, Ron. It's great. It's really great." Harry gasped. Wiping his eyes, he turned to the first present that had his name on it. It was a small, thin, flat package that had the words "To Harry, From Hermione," scrolled across the front in neat, concise handwriting. Tearing it open, he was not surprised at all when a book fell out. "One Hundred and One Ways to Write an Essay. She'll never give up on you mate," Ron said as he leaned over Harry's shoulder.

Nodding, Harry set the book aside and pulled the next present towards him. It was large and brightly wrapped, with a huge scarlet bow on top. "That one's mine, Harry," Ron said as he pulled a Christmas present towards himself. "I hope you like it." Harry nodded and ripped the wrapping off, revealing a large wooden box. "It's a broomstick servicing kit. I thought you might need it more than me, since, well, you're on the quiditch team and I'm not, so…yeah."

Harry smiled an enormous smile, showing all his teeth. "Thanks a lot, Ron!" he said. Nodding, Ron opened up the box of chocolates his present had contained and began to much on one.

Spying another present, Harry pulled it out from under the tree. It was his smallest present, able to fit in the palm of his hand, but it was heavier than the rest of them. Pulling off the light blue ribbon, Harry marveled at a little brown box. "Open it," Time whispered to him from his place on the ground beside him. Nodding, Harry lifted the lid of the box to reveal a very ornate wristwatch, with several buttons all along the rim. Raising it up, Harry admired the way the light caught and held on the lense face, while he listened to the slow, rhythmic ticking of the second hand as it made its way around the watch. "It's not just a watch," Time said. "It's got lots of different features. Press one of the buttons." Harry nodded and did so, pressing the button over the roman numeral for twelve.

Immediately, the glass fogged up and faces began to float across the lens. "It's called a foe glass. It lets you keep track of your enemies. The clearer the face is, the closer they are to you. The third feature is the ability to show you your exact position in the world, even if you are somewhere that's unplottable or has a fidelius charm. Plus, no matter where you are, it will always tell perfect time. I can guarantee that." Harry looked at Time, a huge grin plastering itself across his face. "Sounds fancy!" he said, snapping the watch onto his left wrist. Time smiled back. "Yeah, well, if a gift doesn't have a practical use then it's worthless in my opinion."

Harry nodded, but then looked at Time again, this time with confusion. "But how did you get this? You couldn't have bought this?" he said. Time chuckled before standing up and going to sit on the couch. "How do you think I got it Harry? I did the same thing I did for my broom. I made it." Time looked appraisingly at the watch now resting comfortably on Harry's wrist. "The foe glass was tricky but I finally managed to get the recipe down for it. Had to ask the ghosts if I could use some of their necroplasm. That was an unpleasant experience for both of us I say. Anyway- oof!" Time was cut off as he suddenly had an armful of Harry. "It's beautiful, Time. Thanks."

Time gulped, still a little nervous of close contact. Still, he shoved his discomfort down and patted Harry on the back. "Hey, come on now, cheer up. That's what friends are for, after all. Don't go getting me wet." Harry let go before stepping back, wiping away the tears. This was probably the happiest day of his life!

His thoughts were interrupted by Ron calling him. "Hey Harry, I think there's one more here for you," he said, holding out a package to Harry. Taking hold of it, Harry looked at in interest. It was light, and obviously not solid, so it was probably some kind of clothing. Tearing off the brown packaging, Harry marveled at the fluid like appearance of the material before him. "What is it?" asked Ron. Pulling it out, Harry answered in a subdued voice, "It's some sort of cloak." He flung it around his shoulders.

Both Time and Ron spluttered as Harry's body vanished, leaving only a floating head. "Harry, look down at yourself," Time said slowly. Looking down, Harry let out a surprised squeak before exclaiming, "My body's gone!"

Ron looked on in amazement. "I know what that is!" both he and Time said at the same time. "It's an invisibility cloak."-(this time only Ron spoke). Time nodded in agreement. "Their supposed to be really rare. I was going to try to make one, but now I'm guessing that we don't need it," he said.

"Who's it from?" Ron asked. Harry grabbed the card, ripped it open, and read it out loud.

"_Dear Mr. Potter. Your Father left this in my possession before he died. In his will, he specified that it go to you. Therefore, I think it proper that it be turned over to you. Use it well._"

"And that's it. No name. Just, 'Use it well.'" Harry looked between Ron and Time, wondering if one of them would come up with an answer. "Sounds like you got a visit from Father Christmas! Still think he's fake?" Time looked overly smug as Harry just rolled his eyes. Ron turned to look at the boy, shaking his head. "Time, he is fake."

Time shook his head resolutely. "Nope, I saw one of his elves last night. I know he's real."

Ron looked confused at this. "You saw an elf? What did it look like?"

Time related the whole incident to Ron, who by the end of it was shaking his head. "Time, what you saw wasn't a Christmas elf. It was a house elf."

It was Time's turn to look confused. "A what?" Ron looked incredulously at the boy. "You know, house elves. Their like servants for us. Hogwarts has loads of 'em."

Time looked to be on the verge of tears. "So you're saying it wasn't Father Christmas?"

Ron shook his head. " 'fraid not. Like I said, he isn't real."

Time's wail woke the rest of the Gryffindor house up, and Christmas day officially began.

* * *

It turned out that much of the letters for Time were from students in the school, most of whom remained anonymous. They ranged from fan mail to hate mail, the worst being black mail and death threats (from the Slytherins). Time was truly daunted by the massive pile of letters, but true to his fashion, he read every single one of them in under five minutes before burning the whole lot of them (Except the ones from Harry, Ron, and Hermione of course.)

The Christmas feast at noon was enormous, and everyone left the Great Hall feeling overly stuffed. Because of the unusual amount of people staying for Christmas, the Hogwarts Kitchen elves, which Time was recently made aware of (So that's where the food comes from! I've been wondering about that!) had to work overtime and actually created a surplus. Everyone was whispering about the upcoming fulfillment of the bet, and Time was the subject of a lot of worried gazes.

Draco Malfoy was walking on the clouds. The time had finally come for his greatest rival to be thoroughly humiliated in front of the entire school.

At exactly 3:00, the majority of the students made their way down to the lake shore. A good seventy people milled about, playing in the snow, making snow angels, and building structures using magic. One part of the shoreline was sectioned off for a massive snowball fight orchestrated by the Weasley twins. Two gigantic snow castles, complete with towers, spires, a working set of drawbridges, and a moat stood at opposite ends of a large field about the size of two football fields. Between these two colossal structures was a wide open field, upon which the two opposing factions of wizards waged all out magical snow warfare. Huge mountains of snow were chucked in between the two sides, and twelve feet long icicles impaled themselves in the ground. If hell were cold, it would look like that.

Time made his way down from the real castle (the one made of stone) dressed in his usual white coat and shirt. People were looking at him as if he had gone cross-eyed. What the heck was he thinking wearing something so light when it was so cold out? Time wasn't even wearing a hat, and instead allowed his hair to billow about as it was caught up by a blast of winter wind. Granted, he did cut a dramatic appearance, as his white, knee length coat billowed out behind him and his electric blue eyes sparkled. If not for the black hair, he could have blended in completely with the winter background.

Everyone quieted down as he neared the edge of the lake. Four people, all seventh year prefects from each of the four houses, strode forward to stand before him. The Ravenclaw prefect spoke first. "I am Nymphadora Tonks. I represent the Ravenclaw house, and we are the four judges selected to make sure that the integrity of the bet is upheld. Now, do you have any magical heating charms on you?"

Time shook his head and spoke in a soft voice. "No." Tonks glared at him, obviously not believing him. "Blake, verify that." The Hufflepuff prefect nodded and moved forward, extending his wand and casting a detection spell that would notify him of any active charms. He nodded his head in confirmation as the scan produced a negative. "He's clean," he announced. Tonks looked down at the loosely clad boy in amazement. Shaking her head, she proceeded as diplomatically as she could. "Very well. Time, I believe you understand the details of what you are required to do. The minimum amount of time you are required to be in the black lake is exactly one minute. You may begin whenever you're ready."

Time nodded, before moving to the edge of the shore. The whole lake had been frozen over except for a small patch about half the size of a quiditch pitch. Well, small in comparison to the overall vastness of the lake. Reaching up, Time undid the clasp holding his cloak to his body. Shrugging his shoulders, he allowed it to flow off his shoulders. He then proceeded to disrobe entirely, before standing in front of the entire school, stark naked, facing the lake. The only article he still had on was his collar. Tonks stepped forward, keeping her eyes away from his lower portion, before saying to Time, "I'm sorry, but your collar will have to come off as well."

Time flashed a winning smile before replying courteously, "Yeah, about that. I can't actually take it off."

Tonks looked confused at this. "What do you mean?" she asked. Time looked first at her, then at the school in general, before leaning towards Tonks and whispering, "It just appeared on my neck one day and I can't get it off. Nothing I do works, and no spell will remove it. And anyone else who tries to touch it gets burned."

Nodding, Tonks stepped back and allowed him to continue. Instead of just walking into the lake, Time actually began to stretch, showing off incredible flexibility as he bent over backwards to pop his back. Several catcalls were heard from the crowd, but for the most part everyone was shocked that this boy, a first year, was displaying such a calm countenance when completely nude and well below freezing. The boy hadn't so much as _shivered_ even once! Finishing with his warm up, Time began walking straight forward, disappearing into the lake, leaving everyone on the beach to shiver and wait for him to emerge.

* * *

Draco was seething!

The cuckoo clock shouldn't be enjoying this! He should be shivering and begging to not be thrown into the freezing lake; not smiling and stretching like he was about to take a walk in the park.

It didn't help that all around him both girls' and boys' mouths were dropping, and he had to snap his fingers under a nearby _boy's_ face to get him to look away from Time. Seriously, what was wrong with them. What could they possibly see in that Gryffindor that they didn't have already?

Not that Draco thought that Time was unattractive. Thinking about it, Draco had to admit that the boy was gorgeous. He had a long, supple body, with firm stout muscles that didn't detract from his overall figure. Instead, they made him seem delicate and light, like a sprinter. His skin was creamy white, and not a single blemish to be found. If it were not for the facts that it was the wrong gender and that there was way too much animosity between the two of them, Draco would have been smitten. It appeared, however, that not everyone shared his particular scruples. He actually caught Goyle (of all the disloyalties he could show!) drooling as he gazed down at the boy. Actually, a lot of the upper year boys and about every single third year girl and below present were doing this as well. Simpletons.

Draco watched in astonishment as Time walked into the water, calm as you please, and disappeared from view. 'Well, nothing to do now but wait and see.' Draco thought to himself.

* * *

Time was having the time of his life! He had finally succeeded in manipulating his magic into adapting his body to perfectly fit the environment. As it wasn't technically a heating charm, it did not violate the exact wording of the bet, and thus was technically legal. Time had expanded his lungs, so that he had approximately a minute and a half to two minutes of air. Swimming deeper, he peered through murkiness of the water, trying to discern the flashing of fish scales.

Suddenly, an enormous tentacle reared up before him, startling him. The arm was that of a squid, which slowly became clearer as it got near the surface.

It was approximately twenty feet long, not including the tentacles, and darkish brown in coloring, with black and white spots scattered all over its body. The undersides of the arms were a bright, fleshy pink, and the suckers were enormous. Time was frozen in place as the behemoth turned one of its gigantic eyes on him.

Suddenly, Time felt a tendril of thought touch his mind. Wary at first, recalling the last time he had his mind invaded, Time sent out a strand of his own thoughts, demanding the squids intentions.

He did not receive a verbal reply, but instead was met with a wave of complex emotion, expressing the squid's interest and harmlessness. Grudgingly opening his mind, Time allowed the tendril of thought to enter. A deep, baritone voice echoed through his head.

'What are you doing here, little land fish? Shouldn't you be up above with the surface dwellers?' Time could feel the amusement and confusion present in the mental contact as it ran up and down the link before them. 'Well, you see, I lost a bet to a fellow student. I managed to outsmart him though. He sought to humiliate me, but I found away around it.'

'What were the circumstances?' asked the sea monster. Time began to drift in a lazy circle, relaxed now that he was convinced that the squid wasn't going to eat him. 'I was supposed to swim naked in this lake without any magical heating charms. However, I manipulated my body to allow me to survive freezing temperatures and did a partial transformation on my interior to survive the pressure and lack of air. It's not cheating, as it's not a heating charm. Clever, eh?' Time finished his explanation with a triumphant smile.

Time felt vibrations through the water coming from the squid that created swirls and currents to form and whip around. Time realized that it was the squid laughing. 'Oh, you are a clever one, land fish. I like you! But surely you must be running low on air?' the squid asked with a concerned note in its voice.

Time nodded. 'Actually, I have only twenty more seconds before I run out.' The squid wrapped a tentacle around Time, taking great care to keep the suckers from sinking their barbs into the boy's unprotected body. Many people don't know it, but the giant squid's suckers are actually tiny mouths, with barbs on the inside that attach to their prey and hold it still. Releasing a burst of water from its vents, the squid shot towards the surface, trailing Time behind in its tentacles.

* * *

The entire shorefront shook as two enormous tentacles broke through the ice, rising high into the sky before slamming back down to earth. Dragging itself forward, the Giant Squid raised one of its arms from the water and deposited a dripping wet Time. Stepping off the arm, Time turned and bowed to the gigantic animal, which waved its exposed arms in the air before slipping back down into the depths.

It was dead quiet for a full ten seconds, before the entire school let out a unanimous shout and swarmed the boy. Time was carried by the crowd back over to where his clothes were, before being reluctantly set down so he could get dressed. As soon his modesty was once again covered, he was scooped up by the raving mob and carted back to the school like a war trophy.

The mob of students carried Time all the way to the front door. As soon as they reentered the school, they reluctantly set the seething first year down and went their separate ways back to their common rooms. Time brushed himself off, staring as the horde of people went their separate ways. He felt absolutely violated. They had touched him all over the place! He had even been groped several times, and that was not something he was going to allow ever again.

He looked over his shoulder as he heard a light chuckle. Turning, he saw Harry standing in the doorway of the now empty Entry Hall. "And just _what_, exactly, has you so amused?" Time asked venomously. Harry broke down into full on laughter at this. Finally, when he was done cackling, Harry managed to get out: "Only you, Time, could turn being forced to swim naked in the black lake into a chance to not only seduce half the school, but turn yourself into an overnight celebrity."

Smirking, Time preened under the compliment. "Yes, well, I am quite miraculous like that, aren't I."

Harry rolled his eyes. "Whatever, let's just get to bed. Come on."

And with that, the two Gryffindors strode up to their common room, eager to greet their nice warm beds. Outside, the black lake froze over once again, leaving a certain gigantic sea monster pining for its long lost playmate.

* * *

**Well here's the second to last one. I know it was a bit short, but I'll add in more stuff eventually. BTW, Thanks so much David. I have made the changes, and I guess that's what I get for writing too fast.**

**Celebration! I broke the 40,000 word mark! Yipee! **

**Rate and REEEEVVIIIIEEWWW!-**Arudon


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